Rose With Thorns
by HeliciaxRomione
Summary: Hermione works as a stripper at a nightclub. Her world changes when new things start to happen in her life.
1. Scared to Death

**_So this story takes place in the muggle world. Hermione and other characters are not wizards in my story. Please leave a review and enjoy!_**

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Hermione swung around the pole as everyone in the club screamed and hollered. She wore a white and black ensemble with five inch platformed boots. Her hair was straightened, reaching down to her hips.

"Yeah! Keep going!" A man demanded. Another man threw one dollar bills at her. She swung her hips more until the song was over.

She walked back in her dressing room. She sat in her chair in front of the vanity and sighed as she looked at her reflection. "Why is this my life now? Where did I go wrong?"

 _"Now remember baby girl, you will always be loved. You are blessed with love, never let anybody take that away from you. I love you, my daughter."_

Those were the last words her father told her before he passed away on his death bed. Hermione shed a tear and quickly wiped it away. She kissed her fingers and pressed them against a picture of her father that she kept on her desk.

"I love you, papa." She said quietly. Her shift at Desire was over, much to her relief. She had been working as a stripper for almost three years. She did it to get more money to support herself. She was living by herself so she needed the money.

She wasn't proud of what she does for a living. She hates that people always assume that being a stripper is fun when it really isn't. She dances for weird strangers and occasionaly, some men will fondle her. She made about two hundred dollars a night. Hermione was actually the club's second most paid stripper, behind Lavender.

She hated that it was raining that night. Even with a rain coat, she's get completely soaked. Fortunately, her house wasn't far away. It was a relatively small one but it was all she could afford.

She sighed as she unlocked her door. She threw off her rain coat, revealing the outfit she wore at the club. She stripped off her clothes and changed into her lingerie. She usually kept some of her outfits at home.

She took out the money from her bra to count how much she made tonight. She was dissapointed when she only counted eighty dollars.

"Not even enough to buy a fucking television." She muttered.

She sighed and stretched, feeling exhausted from working for five hours straight. She hated having to work on the weekends but it was when the club had the most customers.

The next day, she woke up late. It was around eleven o' clock in the morning. She quickly slipped on a red crop top and shorts and ran out the door. It was a ten minute walk, she groaned as she started running across the street. She screamed as someone bumped into her near the intersection.

She moaned as she felt her head, she took a look at the person who hit her. It was a man who didn't look that much older than her.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" She said a bit angrily.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you were moving so fast!" He replied. He seemed to be mesmerized.

"Oh no, I'm late to work, I have to go, now!" Hermione ran towards the back of the club and quickly applied her makeup. She was supposed to go on at eleven twenty. It was eleven fifteen now. She had five minutes to spare.

She liked what she was wearing, it was more conservative than what she usually wears. Sometimes, she'd even fully strip, and that would make her a lot more money. But she didn't feel at all comfortable doing that every night. Some of the people here lived close to her so she didn't want to do anything crazy.

She hated her job sometimes, but it was her only choice. She was wearing red lingerie underneath, which was okay enough. She went out after the dancer that was always before her, she was a brunette and she was from Europe. Her name is Emily.

Hermione decided to walk around the club after she danced. She swung around the pole and brought herself back up. She removed her top slowly. All of the guys were cheering for her to strip off more so she unbuttoned her shorts and slid them off.

There were wolf whistles and catcalling from all the men. They lusted after Hermione's figure. She wasn't skinny, compared to most of the strippers that work there. She danced slowly and sensually, making people throw all their money at her. She gave a smile and turned around. She walked back up to where she entered and sat down on her chair. She smiled to herself, she loved feeling sexy. Something in her mind told her otherwise, that it was wrong and she wasn't making the right choices. She shrugged it off and went back out there, but not on stage.

She walked around until someone was interested in getting a lap dance from her. She's had some strange customers and some good ones. She's been asked to flash a man for a hundred dollars, which she refused. Another man asked her to have sex with him for three hundred, which she refused also.

This time, Hermione was desperate to earn the money so she was prepared for anything. A man with curly blonde hair asked her to strip off everything for two hundred. She couldn't believe her luck, that was more than she would make in a few days!

She took the wad of cash and whispered to him, "Follow me in the back."

She smiled and made her way to the private area. The room was dimly lit, with a chair in the middle. She sat him down in the chair. "Stay there. And don't touch." She instructed.

He nodded, "Just take it off. I want to see that beautiful body of yours."

She giggled and unclasped her bra. She held the bra in place to tease him more. She finally lowered the bra and let it fall to the ground. She heard him groan at the sight of her. She turned around and sat on his lap. She kissed him on the cheek, then sat up. She removed her underwear and threw it across the room. She continued to dance more, then she stopped.

The man was persistent, "Can I take you home? I'll pay you double." He offered.

She nodded, she could use the extra money. It was only a private dance, she put on all of her clothes as he left the building to wait for her. She went back into the changing room to grab her sweater to cover up.

When she went out the front door, it was windy. It was late at night and nobody else was around. She hadn't realized how long she was in there. In the corner of her eye, she spotted him, leaning next to his car.

"Hey, so where's your house? Is it closeby? Is it-" She stopped talking when the man placed his hands on her hips. She felt tense.

"I'm paying you to fuck me, not talk." He said in a rather threatining tone.

She was frightened at his attitude. "Well, Mister, I just wanted to know-"

"Look, you just do what I tell you, and don't try to scream for help." He said, proceeding kissing her neck.

She gently took his hand away from her hips, "Mister, I'm not a prostitute." She informed him.

He smirked, "Doesn't matter, you're beautiful, and I want you."

She laughed nervously and backed away slowly, "Look, I don't know what's going on but I'm just going to go back inside, you can keep your money."

He pulled out a hand gun out of his back pocket and pointed at her. Hermione felt her heart beating fast and her whole body shut off.

"Listen, I asked for you, and only you. You agreed, I'm not going to take no for an answer. Now get back over here, you fucking slut." He said harshly.

Hermione felt like bursting into tears. She never agreed to this. She just thought he wanted her to give him a special dance at his home. She felt stupid.

She walked towards him and sighed, "Okay, I'm here, don't get too crazy."

He put the gun back in his pocket, "That's more like it, but don't fucking scream okay? Because I will kill you. Got it?"

She nodded and winced as he coninued kissing her. She felt disgusted, uncomfortable, and embarassed. She let this happen. She could've prevented this. But yet again, due to this man's aggresive nature, he still wouldn't have taken a no for an answer. She looked around but nobody was there to help her, she was helpless.

He unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down. He moaned at the sight of her, "Wow, you know, you have an incredible body."

She bit her lip and prayed that he would stop but he didn't. He wrapped his hands on the fabric of her shirt and pulled it up. Hermione was standing there, with nothing but her lingerie on. She felt exposed, even with nobody around.

He unhooked her bra and marveled at her breasts. He began to fondle them. Hermione gasped as he touched them, she felt violated. This man was so disgusting. She wondered what he was like, if this guy did this for a living and did this to another poor girl.

Hermione whimpered as he unzipped his pants and began to masturbate to her. She felt sick, she couldn't believe that out of all people, this wouod happen to her.

She attempted to run away but the man quickly reacted by grabbing her and pushing her against the car. She accidentally let out a yelp. The man held her wrists tight. Hermione began to cry.

"Hey, get off of her!"

Hermione felt a quick feeling of relief, was that a voice she heard? Or was it in her head?

She screamed when the man in front of her suddenly got hit in the head, and fell to the ground. She whimpered more when she found another man in front of her, the one who hit her offender.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" The figure asked.

Hermione was crying quietly, she felt so much pain after what happened. She nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay." She realized that she was exposed and crossed her arms in front of her to cover herself.

The man was a little taller than her, he had short hair, it was hard to see him clearly in the dark. He extended his hand, "Here, let me take you to my place."

She backed away, frightened. She was scared that this man wanted to violate her as well.

"I won't hurt you." He assured her. "Come on, I'll take you to my place."

She was reluctant, she felt her voice shake, "I-I'm fine."

He gave her a genuine smile, "Come on. I'll let you sleep on my bed." He chuckled. She was attracted to his charm. He was very laid back.

She finally grabbed his hand, he took her hand and led her to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, "After you, my lady."

She giggled, this man was very nice and funny too. She took a seat inside. He gently shut the door. She looked around the car. There was a blanket next to her. And a couple of shirts that seemed to belong to him.

He got into the driver's seat and drove off. "So, what's you name?" He asked her.

She hesitated, "It's Hermione."

"Nice name. I just live around here, it won't be a long drive."

Hermione looked at his face in the car mirror, it was the man she bumped into earlier that day.


	2. Meeting The Family

**_Thank you guys for the reviews! It's really appreciated! I'll try my best to update as best as I can. Be sure to review so I know what you guys think!_**

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He finally parked his car at the front of his house. He exited the car and slammed the door. Hermione thought about bailing out but it wasn't an option. He opened her door and extended his hand.

She took it and stepped out of the car. She glanced at his house. It was a nice, two story house. There was a garden in the front filled with beautiful flowers.

He looked in her direction, "It's not much, but it's home." He sighed.

She smiled, "I think it's beautiful." She moved her gaze to the orchids.

He led her to the front, still holding her hand. She wanted to ask if she could pick an orchid but thought it would be rude.

She felt strange coming into a stranger's home. It was a really nice place. She wished she could afford a place like this.

He turned to her, "I have a sister, she actually threw out some clothes she didn't want."

She nodded, "Okay. But, where are your parents? Are they asleep?"

He smiled, "Oh, don't worry, they're on a business trip in Europe."

She gasped, "Wow, that sounds great, going to Europe and all." She looked down.

He let go of his hand, "Wait here." He went into another room, leaving her by herself.

She became nervous, she was left alone, what if someone were to see her? She became more and more scared. She could've sworn she saw a silhouette in one of the rooms.

She was hoping that the man would come back. He eventually did, he carried a large bag with him.

"Here, they're my sister's clothes. It's okay. Take what you want. My sister wanted to give these away."

She took the bag and looked inside. There were really beautiful tops. "Why would she want to throw these out?" She wondered.

She took a red bra and quicky changed into it, it actually fitted her nicely. She took out a floral blouse and shorts and slipped them on as well.

She sighed in relief, "Ah, that's better."

He stood there, staring at her. She smiled at him, "Thank you, for what you did back there."

"It's not a problem, I couldn't let that happen." He said.

She looked around, "So, where's your room?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, it's upstairs. Here, follow me." He quietly walked up the stairs, they made a slight creaking noise. Hermione took the bag with clothes and followed him up.

She held on to the railing for dear life. She was afraid of falling in her heels. She saw a door that had a 'Keep Out' sign and another had a white board with a schedule on it. There were also flowers decorated around it.

He went to the third door, "This is my room, it's pretty plain but I don't really decorate."

He opened the door and urged her inside, she walked inside, there was a blue bed in the corner, a bookshelf, and a big flat screen TV. She assumed the two doors were the bathroom and closet.

She stared in awe, "Wow, this place is amazing."

He chuckled and put his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, well, it's pretty cool."

She sat on his bed, "Your bed is so soft." She wrapped herself in the blanket.

He laughed again, "You act like you've never seen a bed before."

"Oh no, it's just, it's softer than mine." She said.

He nodded slowly. He looked at her shoes. He thought they were insanely high.

"Wow, those shoes are really high, how could you walk in those?" He asked.

She giggled, "Oh, I got used to walking in them. But if I could, I'd gladly get rid of them."

He looked confused, "Then why don't you?"

"Because," she didn't want to tell him about her job. "Because I like them too, it's complicated."

He chuckled, "You're funny."

She slid out of her heels, "Thank you, mister."

He smiled, "My name's Ron."

She blushed, "Thank you, Ron." She reached to the back of her neck to unclasp her necklace. It was a necklace her father gave her on her seventh birthday.

"I feel really sleepy. Is it okay if I sleep here?" She asked.

"Yeah! It's really no problem! I can just sleep here." He laid on the ground, a pillow below his head.

She giggled, "That looks really umcomfortable."

He looked at her, "Well, it wouldn't be right for a lady to sleep on the floor."

She giggled again, "Good night."

"Good night." He responded.

It was now six in the morning. Hermione was an early riser, maybe it was because of her job. She slowly made her way to the other side of the room, she quietly opened the door.

She tried to sneak in her four inch heels. She wanted to cook herself some breakfast. She was afraid she had woken someone up because the stairs creaked.

Her heart jumped when she suddenly saw two boys in the kitchen, just near the fridge. She wanted to hide but unfortunately, they had already seen her.

"Whoa." One of them exclaimed.

"And who would you be, sweetheart?" The other asked.

She blushed, "I'm Hermione, who are you?"

"Well, I'm Fred." He told her.

"And I'm George." He said eating a candy bar.

She smiled, "Are you guys twins?"

"Yeah." They both answered in unison.

She nodded and fell silent.

Fred suddenly had a look on his face and pointed towards Hermione. "Hey, I know you! You work at that nightclub, right?"

Hermione froze, "What nightclub?"

"Desire, it's just over there. Aren't you a stripper?" He asked loudly.

Hermione faked a disgusted look, "What? No! Why would you ask me that?"

George nudged Fred, "Yeah Fred, show the little lady some respect!"

Another boy walked in, he was rubbing his eye, "Guys, why are you so noisy-"

He stopped in his tracks and stared at Hermione, "Who are you?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "I'm Hermione. I was just going to cook breakfast when I ran into these two."

Fred and George smiled and waved.

"Why are you in our house?" He asked her.

She opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

"Percy!" It was Ron's voice. He ran over to Hermione, "Hey, what's happening?"

"Well, I was going into the kitchen until I saw those two." She whispered, pointing to the twins. "Then this guy walked in."

"Percy, go check on Ginny." Ron ordered him.

"Hey Ronniekins! Can I keep her?" Fred asked.

"Shut up, Fred." He said harshly.

The twins giggled while Hermione smiled at them. She gave a playful wink to them as Ron took her out.

"Don't mind them, they like to joke around." He said to her.

She laughed, "I can tell. They're funny."

He sat her down on the couch in the living room, "Stay here, I'll get you breakfast."

As he went in the kitchen, the twins came out. They both sat beside her.

"So, you know Ron?" George asked on her left.

She faced him, "Well, yeah." She said smiling.

"Are you his girlfriend?" Fred asked to her right.

"Oh no." She said shaking her head.

"Oh, good, because you're a very lovely girl." Fred took her hand and kissed it.

Hermione blushed, "Thank you, but I'm not really looking for a boyfriend."

Ron was holding a plate of eggs and french toast. "Hey, get away from her!"

"Oh come on Ronniekins, we were just talking to her." George told him.

"You're making her feel uncomfortable."

"No we're not." They both said.

Fred faced her, "Are we bothering you?"

She smiled, "No."

"See?" The twins said together.

"Just scoot over." Ron finally said.

"Fine." George groaned.

"What a killjoy." Fred added. They moved to the end of the couch.

Hermione giggled, "It's okay Ron, you don't have to worry about me."

He sighed, "I know. Well, here's your breakfast."

Hermione smelled the aroma,"Mm, this is my favorite!"

"Really?" Ron asked her, surprised. "That's good."

"Who is she? And why is she wearing my shirt?"

Hermione looked up to see a girl her age.

"Her name is Hermione, and you didn't want those clothes anymore Ginny, remember?" Ron said.

Hermione stood up, "Do you want it back? I can give it back."

"That would be a sight to see." Fred whispered to George. Ron smacked him.

"Ow! I was just joking Ron!" He said innocently.

"No, it's alright, keep it. I'm Ginny, I'm Ron's sister." She introduced.

Hermione smiled, "Nice to meet you, Ginny."

"Thank you for breakfast Ron." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you for our breakfast." George said.

Ron stared at him, "Will you ever shut up?"

The twins faced each other, then at Ron, "No."

Hermione walked back upstairs. She went to get her phone. She didn't feel like going back to work after what happened. In fact, she didn't want to work there anymore at all. She went upstairs to get her phone. It was almost eight. She felt so out of place, she never really wore normal clothes in a long time. She wore her costumes most of the time, even sleep in them. It was a lot being a stripper. It really isn't all what it's cracked up to be.

She was never really friends with the other girls at Desire. She knew one of them was a mom with a daughter. Another one was from Brazil who got away with the law there and changed her identity and became a stripper.

Hermione was ashamed to tell anybody what she did for a living, she wanted respect. If she told people what she did, people would just assume she loved doing it and it was fun for her and everything. She wished she could start anew.

She went downstairs and saw a man who seemed to be in his thirties was sitting on the couch now. She slowly walked next to the couch and looked at him. He saw her.

"Who are you?"

She rubbed her shoulder, "I'm Hermione. I'm sure Ron told you who I was."

"A friend from work?" He asked.

"Well, yes. I am." She lied.

He nodded, "Well, nice to meet you."

She smiled, "Nice to meet you too, um..."

"Billy, I'm Billy." He answered kindly.

"Nice to meet you, Billy. By any chance, where did Ron go?"

He pointed at the door, "He's playing basketball out back."

She walked towards the door, "Oh, okay thank you!"

She opened the screen door and saw Ron shoot a basket. She walked down the steps in her heels and walked slowly. The area was grassy in some parts and she didn't want to be clumsy.

He heard her walking, "Hey Hermione." He was carrying a basketball.

She looked at the ball, then at him. "You play?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I was on my school's Basketball team."

She widened her eyes, "Really?" She was actually talking to a guy who was in his school's basketball team.

"Yeah. I wasn't very popular though. Draco Malfoy was the popular one." He said with disgust.

"That's horrible. You know, I love to play basketball, I used to play all the time." She said.

"Really? Come on, try to get it through the basket." He offered.

She giggled, "Okay, I haven't done it in a while."

She focused and threw the ball. It landed on the rim and slid into the basket.

"Wow! You're really good!" He said congratulating her.

"Well, I try my best." She smiled.

"Well, that's obvious." He groaned, "I have to go to work by nine."

She cocked her head, "Where do you work?"

"Café Lumos." He answered with a smile.

She gasped, "I love that place, I used to go there all the time!"

"I wonder why I've never seen you." Ron said in a disappointed tone.

"Well, I've just been busy a lot is all." She played with her fingers. "Can I come to work with you?"

"Really?" He asked shocked. "I mean, really?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it'll be fun. I can help you. I actually used to be a waitress when I was fifteen."

Hermione cringed at the thought. The reason she had stopped working as a waitress was because it wasn't making enough money for her, even with the tips. Being a stripper earned her double the amount than what she earned as a waitress in a single day.

He grinned, "Hey, that's awesome! I'll tell my boss if you can work there for a while, we could use more employees there."

"Okay, I'll go change." She said smiling widely. She went up the steps and entered the house.


	3. Café Lumos

_**Okay guys, I was so pissed because I lost the text to the first half of this chapter so I had to rewrite it. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember it word for word and it was longer than what I rewrote so sorry if this chapter is shorter. But as usual, keep reviewing and enjoy! :)**_

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Hermione left the house. She was wearing a floral shirt with a skirt. She still had on her heels. She felt really girly. She smiled when she saw him waiting for her next to his car.

Hermione walked over to him and pointed at the car, "This is a really nice car."

He looked at her, then nodded, "Oh yeah, my parents got it for my nineteenth birthday."

She giggled, "And how long ago was that?"

He smiled, "Last week."

Her eyes widened in shock, "Wow, not that long ago." She was surprised. He was not that much older than her.

He opened the door for her, "Ladies first."

She smiled, she loved how big of a gentleman he was. "Why thank you, sir."

She carefully entered the car and saw the old shirts again. He got into the car soon after.

"Um, why do you keep your shirts in here?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, sometimes Fred and George take my shirts without asking so I keep a few in here, just in case."

She couldn't help but giggle. "Those two are really something."

"No kidding." He checked the time, "We should probably leave now. My shift starts in fifteen minutes."

She nodded, "Okay." She knew how important it was to get to work on time. She would be late sometimes and miss a few customers.

They finaly pulled up in front of the café. Hermione got out to take a look at it. It was a small café in the corner of the street. There was a 'Help Wanted' sign in the front.

Ron followed her. "Here, let's go inside. I'll ask my boss is he could hire you."

He led her inside and went to the back. There was a man with black hair and striking blue eyes.

Ron smiled, "Hey Harry, what's up?" He shook his hand.

Harry laughed, "Hey, it's nice to meet you." He looked at Hermione. "Wow, and who's this little lady?"

She smiled, "I'm Hermione."

Ron jumped in, "Is it okay if you hire her? She's kinda looking for a job."

He smiled at her, "Yes, of course! We actually need more employees around here." He handed her an apron. "Just put this on and wait tables.

"Thanks Harry, I'll see you later." Ron said.

Harry nodded. "Alright, see you later man."

Hermione struggled to put her apron on. "Ron, could you tie my apron?"

"Sure." He replied. She moved her haor out of the way as he tied the strings behind her.

She let her hair down after a moment, "Thanks."

"Okay, just wait the tables and I'll cook the food." He informed her.

"Okay." She walked by some tables. She saw a man looking at the menu.

She stopped in front of him, "May I take your order?"

He smiled, "Yes, I'll just have an iced mocha."

"One iced mocha. Coming right up!" She tried to find the coffee machine. It was right beside the cups and napkins. There were three choices: vanilla, mocha, or hazelnut.

She placed a cup below the nozzle and quickly pressed the mocha button. She waited until the cup filled up.

She took the cup and served it to the man. "Okay, one iced mocha. Enjoy."

He looked up at her for a moment, but stayed silent. "You don't have a name tag?"

"Oh no, I'm new around here. I'm Hermione."

He smiled, "Lovely name. My name is Draco."

She smiled, "Interesting name."

He chuckled quietly, "If you don't mind me asking, what's a beautiful girl like yourself doing working here?"

She raised her eyebrow, offended by his question, "What is that supposed to mean?" She placed her hand on her hip.

"Oh no, I meant like, you should be a model or something. You definitely have the potential for it."

Hermione gripped her notepad. This man was being nice to her but she didn't know what to think.

He quickly apologized, "Sorry if I sound really creepy, but you should definitely look into it."

She felt really flattered, "Thank you. Well, enjoy your drink."

As she was about to walk away, Draco talked again.

"Hey," she stopped, "I just wanted to ask you if you're free tomorrow night?"

She had a blank expression, "What?"

"I'll take you out, to a movie or something. You can choose what you wanna do."

She bit her lip and looked off at the other direction, "Um, I don't know."

"It's alright. Maybe next time." He offered. He smiled again. She wasn't sure if he was faking it or not. She smiled, "Okay, I'll see you later." She waved goodbye to him.

As she walked into the kitchen to check on Ron, she thought about everything that happened. Why was almost every guy hitting on her? Was it because they knew her at the nightclub?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a boy her age in the kitchen. He had brown hair and very colorful blue eyes.

"Hello there, are you new here?" He asked.

"Why yes, I am. I'm Hermione."

"Oh, well I'm Seamus, I cook the food here, along with Ron of course." He was cooking scrambled eggs in a pan.

She smiled when she saw Ron, and he actually smiled back at her.

"Thanks for letting me help out, Ron." She said happily.

"It's no probem, Hermione. I'm glad you're happy."

She caught sight of a lovely chocolate cake with decorative icing on it.

"Wow, who made this?" She asked, walking over to it.

"I made it." A dreamy voice said.

A blonde girl with wavy hair walked by. "I bake all the sweets here."

Hermione stared in awe at the cake, "This looks amazing."

"Here, have a slice." She grabbed a knife and cut a piece of cake and place it on a plate.

Hermione took a piece off and tasted it. It was a chocolatey sensation in her mouth. She loved how rich it tasted. "Wow, this is a great cake!"

"Thanks. It's a special family recipe." She said.

Hermione looked at her name tag, it read, 'Luna'. What a pretty name, she thought. Maybe they would become good friends over time.

It was around three and everyone was almost done with their shifts. Hermione untied her apron and sighed. She was exhausted, especially walking around in heels. She wanted to rest her feet.

She met up with Ron outside. The sunset was gorgeous. The skies were pink and orange. The clouds looked dreamy.

She saw Ron looking at the sunset so she sneaked quietly behind him and said in a soft voice, "It's nice isn't it?"

He turned around and looked at her, "Yeah, it is." He said nervously. She smiled and rubbed her arms.

"The sunset. The sunset is nice." He said immediately.

She nodded, "Yeah. I just wish my life was like this every day."

She wished she had a family like Ron, had a decent job, and had her own car like him. She couldn't help but seeing herself as a filthy stripper.

She finally looked up and smiled at him. She gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Ron was quiet for a second, "What was that for?"

She blushed, "Just a thank you. For everything."


	4. Feelings

_**Hey guys! I love your reviews! It's nice to know you all love my story! I really enjoy writing it for you guys. Don't worry! I'll add more side couples in the future. Please review ans enjoy! xo**_

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Ron was playing a Beatles cd in his car as he drove him and Hermione back to the Weasley household. Hermione laughed when he sang along loudly.

"Oh man, I love the Beatles! They're like, the best band ever!" He commented.

Hermione smiled, "Yeah. They are pretty cool."

He pulled up in front of the house. Fred and George were playing basketball outside. It was almost five but the sun was still out. George seemed to struggle when Fred was always getting the ball into the basket.

Hermione saw them and laughed, "Oh great, the twins are back."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Don't mind them, just ignore them."

The twins stopped playing when they saw Hermione walk over to them.

Fred smirked, "Hey George look, it's that little cutie again."

George laughed as Hermione stopped in front of them. "Mind if I play against you guys?"

They looked at each other, then burst into laughter.

Hermione raised her eyebrow, "What's so funny?"

George spoke after laughing uncontrollably, "Are you joking? Girls can't play basketball!"

Hermione put her hands on her hips, "Oh yeah? Says who?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious why there's no girls on the NBA." Fred stated.

Hermione nodded, "Alright. Well, we'll see. Pass me the ball."

Fred passed her the ball. She dribbled the ball and as Fred tried to take the ball, she ran to the left and faked going right. George reached for the ball, but Hermione jumped and shot the ball into the hoop.

She smiled as she went over to pick up the basketball and look at the faces of the twins. Their mouths wide open in disbelief. "That, is how you play basketball." She threw the basketball back to Fred.

"Come on Ron, let's go inside." She hummed as she went inside the house.

Percy was watching television in the living room and Ginny was walking down the stairs.

"Hey Ron, you're back." She smiled.

Ron grinned at his little sister, "Hey Ginny, is it alright if you keep Hermione company here? I have to go fix something."

"Sure." Ginny said with a smile.

"Cool," he turned to Hermione, "I'll come back for you in a minute."

She looked at his blue eyes, then smiled at him, "Okay."

Ginny looked at Hermione, "So, are you a friend from work?"

Hermione paused, "Yeah, I work as a waitress there. I think he's best friends with the boss there."

Ginny looked up at her, "Wait, you mean Harry?"

Hermione shrugged, "I guess. What about him?"

"Nothing." She quickly responded.

"No, really. What about him?" Hermione persisted.

Ginny sighed, "Well, they've been friends since they were in middle school. I've always liked him but I don't want Ron to think I'm weird for liking his friend."

Hermione formed a big smile, "Really? That's cute! Maybe I could bring you to work so you can talk to him?"

Ginny gasped, "What? No! What if he talks to me? I wouldn't know what to say!"

"Don't worry, I'll be with you so I'll just do the talking and you can talk too." She offered.

Ginny was skeptical but she really wanted to see Harry. She shrugged, "Alright."

Hermione squealed and clapped her hands, "Oh my gosh, this is going to be so cool!"

Ron came down the stairs, "Okay, all done. Come on, Hermione."

She smiled at Ginny, "See you later." She ran up the steps, following Ron.

"See you!" Ginny yelled back.

Hermione yawned and fell on his bed, "Can I take a shower?"

Ron hesitated, he never had someone use his shower before. He didn't know how long it would take her either.

"Sure. I'll just go downstairs and wait for you." He said.

She smiled, "Thanks, I'll just take fifteen minutes, promise."

She went inside the bathroom while Ron left his room. The twins' room was empty so Ron decided to look in there. He checked the time on his phone, it was half past five, so he'd have to wait until it was five forty-five.

He sneaked inside quietly, just in case Fred and George could hear. It was no surprise it was messy inside. Dirty clothes everywhere, cans of soda crowded the desks, and the beds weren't made. Ron scoffed, "It's like they were raised in a barn."

There were also a few posters of half naked women on the wall, and some Playboy magazines on the floor. But one thing caught Ron's attention. It looked like a list. There were names on the paper. It was the names of girls.

He read through the list: Alana, Fiana, Kirstee, Hermione.

Ron felt his body stop. "Hermione? Why is her name on this paper?"

Ron decided to think about it later. He picked up their trash and went downstairs to throw it away. The twins were finally inside. They were talking about how their parents were coming back in a few days.

Ron completely forgot that they would be back this weekend. It was Wednesday. He still didn't know what to do if they asked about Hermione.

"Hermione." He said. He forgot about her. He went upstairs to check on her. He opened the door and saw her standing there, in her lingerie.

She saw him after she put on her shirt. Ron froze. "Uh-um, sorry." He quicky shut the door.

He slapped his forehead, "Stupid. Stupid. Now she's going to think you're a creep! Nice job Ron!"

Hermione opened the door a moment after, "Ron?"

He looked up at her, "Yeah?"

She smiled, "I'm done now. You can come in if you want to."

He sighed and got up from the floor. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to walk in like that."

Hermione blushed, "It's alright," she changed the subject, "so what was it that you were fixing up here?"

He took a seat on the bed, "Oh, it's this stupid broken string on my guitar."

"You play guitar?" She asked.

He nodded, "Yeah." He got up and grabbed his guitar from his closet. "I've had this for years now."

Hermione looked at the guitar. "It's a beautiful guitar." She sat on the bed.

He sat next to her, "Yeah, but now, it's going to be trash." He said nonchalantly.

She touched his shoulder to comfort him, "Hey, it's okay."

He smiled at her, he was attracted to her beauty and her kindness. But he didn't want to make her feel weird around him.

"It's just, I've played guitar since I was six, and I love it. But, I can't buy another one. Especially on a waiter's tips."

Hermione nodded. She knew what he felt. To not have enough money to buy something she wanted.

"Well," he said, "we should get some rest."

"Okay." Hermione took off her heels and unclasped her necklace and put it on his nightstand.

"Good night." He said from the floor.

Hermione giggled, "Good night, Ron."

She turned the lamp off and tried to get comfortable. She thought about a lot of things. She had a new job, she made some friends, and she had a little crush on Ron. She loved that he was so nice and a little awkward. But again, she decided against it. If he ever found out who she was, he would never respect her.


	5. A Gift

_**Yay! A new chapter! Please continue to review and tell me what you guys think!**_

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The sun was halfway up, but Hermione woke up. She stretched and yawned. Ron was still sound asleep on the floor with his pillow. She smiled, she thought that he looked adorable sleeping.

She slowly pulled the blanket off of her. She quietly tip toed out of the room. The whole house was quiet. Nobody seemed to be awake. Hermione was guessing it was somewhere around six.

She hated that she only had her heels for shoes because they made a little noise every time she went down the stairs. She sighed in relief when she made it to the bottom. She saw Ron's car keys on the desk next to the door.

She grabbed them and left the house. It was beautiful outside. The garden was blooming with flowers. Hermione looked at the orchids again. She continued with her plan and made her way to his car.

She prayed that nobody would hear her because she knew that she had to press a button on the car keys that made a noise to open it. She winced as she pushed the button.

She immediately entered the vehicle and closed the door softly. She put the keys in the ignition and grabbed the wheel.

She breathed in and breathed out, "Okay. So where is that place again? Was it over here? Or over there?"

She stepped on the gas and drove around the block. She really hoped that Ron wouldn't get mad at her. Hopefully he doesn't think that Hermione was just some girl wanting to steal his things.

She looked over to a place that sold guitars. "Thank God." She found a parking space in the front. She pulled out some money from her bra strap, where she always kept it. She had about five hundred dollars saved up.

"Hopefully this is enough to buy a guitar." She muttered. She entered the store, the door had a bell next to it, so it rang when she came in.

A big man with a beard saw her, "What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I'm looking for any guitars you guys might have. Nothing special, just a regular one."

He nodded, "Yes, we have acoustic guitars and electric guitars."

She saw the one that looked like Ron's. She pointed at one. "Can I have the acoustic one?"

"Alright, let me get that for you." He reached for the guitar and grabbed it from the shelf.

He went over to the cash register to ring up her purchase. "That will be $150, please."

She gave him two $50 bills and five $10 bills. As he put the money in the register, he looked up at her, "Is this for you, ma'am?"

"Oh, no, it's for a friend." She said.

"What's your friend's name?" He asked curiously.

She blushed when she thought of him, "Ron. Ron is his name."

His eyes widened, "Ron? Ronald Weasley?"

She nodded, "Yeah, do you know him?"

He smiled, "Know him? He's been coming in here since he was a kid! His father would always bring him in here just to play. Why, he's one of the best players I've ever heard!"

"Wow. I never knew that." She said genuinely.

He continued, "He loves to play. I can see it in him. He's so passionate about it."

Hermione smiled more, "That's amazing. I'm giving him this guitar as a gift."

The man grinned, "Are you his girlfriend?"

She blushed deeper, "Oh, no, no. I'm kind of a new friend to him."

He grunted, "Well, that's a shame. He'd be lucky to have you as a girlfriend. He's fond of brunettes y'know."

She giggled, "That's nice. I should really get going, he's probably worried about me."

"Well, alright then. Have a nice day!" He waved.

She turned around before she left for the door, "I never got your name."

"Hagrid." He gave a warm smile.

"I'm Hermione."

"Nice meeting you, Hermione. Tell Ron I said hi!"

"I will." She left the store. The sun was getting brighter. "Oh shit. I have to get there quick."

She turned the keys in the ignition and rushed to the Weasley household. She grabbed the guitar and walked quietly to the front door. Thankfully, everyone was still asleep.

She had left the door to Ron's room open so she wouldn't maks noise just to close it, then open it when she returned. She took off her heels and held them in her left hand, the guitar on her right. She sneaked past Ron and quickly hid the guitar under his bed.

She kneeled in front of him and rubbed his shoulder.

"Ron? Wake up, wake up." She sang in a dreamy voice.

He smiled in his sleep and groaned. She continued singing to him. He moved a little, then finally opened his eyes.

She smiled, "Good morning, Ron."

"Hi, Hermione." He said in his morning voice. It was raspy and a little deeper than what he usually sounds like.

She smiled, "Come on Ron, wake up."

He finally sat upright and rubbed his eyes, "Okay, I'm up." His hair was messy and umkempt.

She suddenly dropped her smile, "Ron? Can I ask you something?"

He looked concerned, "Why? What is it?"

She bit her lip and sighed, "It's about me."

"Did someone try to hurt you?"

"No Ron, it's okay. Nobody did anything. I was just wondering-" she looked down for a moment, then looked at him, "Why? Why do you let me stay here?"

She thought about that night again. It had been days since that had happened.

He gave her a serious look, "I couldn't just leave you with that man. I wanted to help you."

"Well, why didn't you just let me go home?" She asked.

"He could've followed you home. Something would have happened if you had gone home." He explained. She nodded in agreement. She looked in his eyes.

"When-when I saw your face," he paused, "I saw fear in your eyes. You looked helpless, vulnerable." She looked at him as he talked.

"You looked like you've seen death with your eyes. I felt your hand shake."

Hermione remembered being in that moment, absolutely scared.

"Nobody deserves feel like that." He finished.

It took a while for her to process what he said to her.

"Ron. I really never got to say thank you." She touched his shoulder.

He gave her that smile that she loved to see, "It's alright, Hermione."

"I have something for you." She got up and grabbed the guitar under the bed.

He gasped once he saw it. She kneeled beside him again and handed him the case with the guitar in it.

"This is just a token of my appreciation." She said.

He unlocked the case and took out the guitar. "Wow, this is so brand new. I don't know what to say."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" He strummed some chords.

He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and glanced at his lips. She really wantes to kiss him, but didn't want him to be disgusted with her.

"You play so well." She complimented.

"Thanks. I haven't played in a while. I taught myself how to play and eventually, I started playing chords every day of the week." He laughed.

"That sounds amazing. I wish, I wish I had a hobby." She said glumly.

"Well, do what makes you happy. Do something you really love to do." He suggested.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks Ron. Thanks for getting me a job at Café Lumos. I love it there. Your co workers are nice too."

He chuckled, "I see you get along with Luna."

She grinned, "Yeah, she's really nice and very funny."

"As a matter of fact, we should get going." He put his guitar down next to the bed.

"Oh shoot, it's almost nine!" She followed him out the door and left in a hurry.


	6. Friends and Enemies Part 1

The café looked packed today. More filled than it was in the yesterday. Maybe since it was a Friday. Hermione grabbed an apron from the back and tied it behind her.

She took a lot of people's orders. Peope were coming and out so the staff worked double time.

Hermiome ripped a page from her notepad and ran to the kitchen. "I've got five orders of the Club Sandwich Special, two orders of strawberry milkshakes, and a cherry pie!" She placed the paper on the table.

She was amazed at how fast Ron and the others were working. Luna was mixing the ingredients for the pie while Seamus and Ron flipped chicken patties. There was a guy in the back chopping vegetables.

Hermione was curious, "Who is that?"

Seamus looked over his shoulder, "Oh, that's Neville. He's kind of shy."

"Oh." She mouthed. She looked at Ron and smiled, "Hey Ron."

He looked up from the pan and smiled back, "Hey."

Luna shaped the dough and filled the pie with cherry filling.

Hermione smelled the aroma, "Wow. That looks good, Luna."

"Thank you. I love baking pies. They're so delicious!" Luna sighed.

Seamus rung the bell. "Order up!"

"Alright." Hermione quickly grabbed the dishes and went out the kitchen.

She went to a table with a mother and her son. "Here's your meal. Enjoy!"

"Thank you." The little boy said. Hermione smiled at him.

She served the rest around the place. Everyone must be hungry on a Friday. Hermione looked at her phone. Since yesterday, she's been getting voicemails from her boss at Desire. He's been asking what happened to her.

Hermione took a deep breath. It was her second day living in a stranger's house. She still wasn't comfortable going back to her job. She was afraid that that man would come back.

Suddenly, someone caught her eye. It was the same boy from yesterday. Did he always come here?

Hermione walked over to him and waved, "Hi."

He smirked, "Hey, beautiful."

She laughed, "How have you been?"

"Pretty good. I couldn't stop thinking of you." He grinned.

She looked down at her notepad, "Why?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't." He paused, "I'm having a party at my mansion tonight. Would you like to come?" He asked politely.

She bit her lip, "A party? It sounds fun but-"

He frowned, "I could totally understand if you don't want to go."

"No, no. I'd love to. What time is it going to be?"

"Seven o' clock sharp. It's at Green Avenue." He answered firmly.

"I'll be there." She smiled.

"I'll see you there, gorgeous." He slicked his hair back.

Did she really just say yes? She missed going to parties. It was fun and harmless. But would Ron let her go?

When their shifts were almost over, Harry checked on everyone. Everybody was talking in the kitchen. "Amazing job today guys. We managed to serve over fifty customers today!"

Everyone cheered and applauded. "And for all your hard work, I'm giving you all a raise!"

"Really?" Seamus asked.

"No way!" Ron added.

"Thanks Harry." Neville said.

Hermione gently tapped Ron in the shoulder, "Ron, can I talk to you?" She asked him.

"Sure." He followed her outside. There weren't a lot of people outside. The streets were quiet. It was perfect for a walk.

"Ron, is it okay if I use your car to go to a party tonight?" She asked softly.

"Are you sure?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah. It's just at Green Avenue."

His eyes widened, "Green Avenue? You know that place is bad."

Hermione nodded, "I know but this guy was cool about it, it's just at his house."

He shook his head, "If you're going to this party, then I'm going with you."

She didn't want to argue with him. She let out a sigh and crossed her arms, "Fine. But I want to have a good time there."

"Alright. But if something happens-"

She smiled, "I'll be fine, Ron. Really."

Ron loved her optimism and charm. He was worried about her though.

Hermione spent almost an hour getting ready for the party. Ron watched as she fixed her hair, did her makeup, and choose an outfit. He was still in his casual clothes. Just jeans and a simple plaid shirt.

"So, how do I look?" Hermione stood up from the chair and spun around for him. She developed a worried look i her eyes when he stayed quiet. "Oh no. Is my hair messed up? Wha-"

Ron laughed, "No Hermione, you look, amazing." He finally said. He stood up and walked over to her. "I mean, wow."

She giggled and ruffled his hair, "You're not so bad yourself."

He backed away, laughing, "Alright, that's enough. Let's go to that party."

It was dark outside. The stars were dimmer than usual. It wasn't windy so it was dead quiet. All Hermione could hear was the sound of her heels touching the cement. She suddenly stopped and had flashbacks from that night.

" _Listen, I asked for you, and only you. You agreed, I'm not going t_ o _take no for an answer_. _Now get back over here_ , _you fucking slut."_

Ron was in front of his car when he noticed Hermione wasn't beside him. He saw her still, as if she was frozen. "Hermione?"

 _"Don't fucking scream okay? Because I will kill you. Got it?"_

"Hermione, are you all right?" He had his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

She looked at him, "Y-yeah. I'm fine." She fixed her hair and entered the car.

Hermione looked down at the car floor and her mind was running. Why did Ron help her? Why did she have to be a stripper in the first place? Why did she have to give up her pride? She was confused and held back from crying. She wanted to have fun tonight, and she didn't want anything to ruin it.

Green Avenue was just the next block from where they were now. Hermione smiled when she heard Ron humming quietly to his Beatles cd. She noticed that his shirts weren't piled up in the car anymore.

She was mesmerized by the view. There was a big mansion, almost vintage looking. There were a lot of people outside, having drinks and dancing to loud hip hop music.

Hermione was excited, but her stomach turned when she saw so many people around. She took a deep breath and opened the car door slowly. She searched for the blonde man she talked to earlier.

She wondered why she never asked for his name. She quickly walked up to the front and rang the doorbell. It was none other than him.

He smiled warmly, "Hey! Glad you could make it! Come in!"

She smiled back, she saw everyone dancing and drinking.

Ron appeared, "Hello."

"Hey man, what's up?"

Ron rolled his eyes a bit, for some reason, he didn't like this guy. He even thought he looked familiar, "What's your name?"

He extended his arm, "Oh, I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."

Ron felt shock. It was Draco, his rival in high school. The basketball star from high school. They were on opposing teams and every game, Draco beat his team by a point. He hoped that Draco didn't recognize him.

"Hello Draco." Ron ecided not to say his name, just in case. Hermione poured herself a glass of punch and walked around. There were groups of guys and girls mingling. After Ron got in, he tried to find Hermione.

She saw him and waved, "Ron!"

"Hermione! I couldn't find you in here!" He was yelling over the music. He looked around, "I have to use the restroom, just don't wander off."

"Alright." She sipped her punch.

She saw a staircase and was curious about what was going on upstairs. She made sure nobody was watching, especially Draco. The stairs looked old but they didn't creak like the ones in Ron's home. She kind of liked it better when the stairs creaked.

It was mostly empty. There were a couple of doors. She went more close to one of them and heard a sound. It sounded like a woman moaning. She groaned in disgust and went back downstairs. People were walking back and forth so much. Hermione felt uneasy.

"Hey!" A voice said.

Hermione looked to her left and saw Draco. He was holding a soda can. She smiled and greeted him.

"Are you enjoying the party?" His eyes brightened up.

She smiled as she looked around, "Yeah. It's awesome. I didn't catch your name."

"Draco. What about you?" He smiled in a kind of pretentious way.

"I'm Hermione. So what do you do for a living?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, well, I'm actually a writer." He said shyly.

She raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I write some pretty deep stuff actually. But I love to write. I hope I could publish a book someday."

She smiled, "I'd buy it."

He laughed, "Thanks, Hermione."

Ron came back from the bathroom, looking for Hermione. He saw her with Draco and immediately took action.

"Hey, Hermione. Can I talk to you for a second?" He pulled her away.

She had a look of confusion on her face. "What?"

"That's the guy I mentioned. Remember? Basketball? High school?"

She quickly realized, "Oh my gosh, I forgot that you mentioned his name. I didn't put it together!"

"He's bad news, Hermione." He warned her.

She scoffed, "Oh come on. He seems really nice!"

"Oh come on, Hermione. He's tricking you! He tricks everybody!"

Hermione didn't know how to feel. Was Ron telling the truth? She just figured it was because he was jealous. She didn't want to put herself in another bad situation.


	7. Friends and Enemies Part 2

_**I apologize for the unintended cliffhanger last chapter. I just wrote too much and wanted to cut it short. But here's the rest! Enjoy and review! Xoxo**_

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She looked at him, she could tell that he was being serious. "Alright, I'll be careful. But Ron, what is he changed? Anybody can change. It was high school."

"I know. Just-just be careful." He warned again.

"Hermione?" Draco said, interrupting their conversation.

She looked at him, then at Ron. "I'll see you later, Ron."

Draco wrapped his hand around her waist, "So, tell me about yourself." He smiled at her, assuring her that it was okay to talk to him.

"Well, I'm a waitress. Obviously." She chuckled. "I'm 21, and I like to eat junk food."

Draco laughed, "Interesting. You know, I've never seen you around here before. Are you new here?"

She moved her hands and bit her lip, "Well, sorta. I moved here a couple years ago." She explained.

"Oh. You know, I've always lived here. I used to always play outside with my mother. She always supported me, she always gave me everything I wanted." He said, looking up.

Hermiome nodded, "She sounds amazing. What about your father?"

He looked at her. It looked like he was angry with her. Hermione didn't want to come off as insensitive.

"My father. I haven't talked to him in years." He paused. He looked as if he didn't want to talk about him anymore.

Hermione noticed his expression and immediately apologized. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She should've known better, since her own parents died when she was very young.

"It's alright. All that matters is that I have all of this." He looked at all the people. Everyone was still laughing and talking, but all Hermione could hear was Draco.

"Something my father will never have." He mumbled quietly.

He turned around to face her, "Hey, excuse me if this sounds really strange but-would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Hermione's body turned stiff. This guy was asking her out, and they only met for ten minutes. She thought that he was cute though. She loved how blonde his hair was and his unique eyes.

She moved her hands behind her back, "Um-"

He placed his hands on her shoulders, "I mean, it's fine if you don't want to. I don't want you to be uncomfortable about it."

She shook her head. "No, no. I'd love too." She smiled. "And I'll wear something nice."

He smiled, "Great. So when should I pick you up."

Hermione looked up, "Well," she was wondering if she would be busy hanging out with Ron and his family tomorrow. "How about eight o' clock? I'm just close by, by Billius Street."

His face widened, "Oh, that's just a few blocks over. How will I find you?"

She smiled flirtatiously, "I think you'll know. I'll be waiting outside, wearing a nice dress."

He breathed deeply, "Oh really? I'll be driving my black Jaguar. I'll drive slowly, so you could see me."

She giggled, "Okay, Mr. Hotshot. If you say so."

She did something she never expected to do. She got closer to him. She felt herself heat up. Their eyes met, she brushed his hair behind his ear.

She slowly formed a smile, "You have, really nice hair."

Draco was infatuated with her, "God. I mean, you're really pretty."

She laughed, "You're so funny."

Ron showed up and was shocked to see Hermione. "Hermione, we should get going, it's almost nine o' clock."

She faced Ron and pouted, "Aww, that sucks."

She turned to Draco, "I'll see you tomorrow." She planted a kiss on his left cheek and laughed.

"Bye!" She waved. Ron took her hand and led her outside. He could hear her laughing whike he led her out.

Once they were outside, he let go of her arm, "What's wrong with you? You're so giggly. Like you're up in the clouds."

She giggled, "What do you mean? I'm just so happy?" She slurred a few of her words.

"Whoa. What did you drink?" He asked her.

She out her finger to her mouth, "Hmm, I just had some punch."

Ron's expression changed when he came to the realization. "Oh no, he must have spiked it!" He put his hand on his head.

He looked at her and took her in the car. He started the engine and drove back home. For the next ten minutes, he heard Hermione in the back, giggling and singing to herself.

Ron talked to himself, "Oh man, I should have known that he would do something like this. I should have stayed with Hermione the whole time. Bloody hell, it might take hours for her to go back to normal."

It was dark outside, almost pitch black. Most of the Weasley family was sleeping. The garden in the front was still beautiful and colorful. Ron pulled up in the driveway and opened Hermione's door. He took her hand and led her inside. She was still giggly and dazed. He made her sit on his bed.

"Hermione, calm down." He begged.

She laughed, "What do you mean, 'calm down'? I want to have some fun!" She stood up on top of the bed and jumped up and down repeatedly.

Ron made motions with his hand, "Hermione, shut up! Everyone's sleeping!" He whispered.

She stopped and sat back down. "Sorry Ron."

He sighed, "It's alright." He turned around and scratched his neck, "You should probably-"

"Ron?"

"What?" He said with worry. He's never heard her use that tone of voice before.

She bit her lip and looked at him, "Are you a virgin?"

He was taken aback, "W-what?"

She lowered her shirt strap over her shoulder, "Have you ever had sex with anybody?"

"He-Hermione, you really need to sleep." He walked up to her and pulled her sleeve back up.

She leaned back, "I bet I could sleep better if you were to help me."

"No, no, no. Just think about sheep." He took his blanket and gave it to her.

"I could just think of you." She said seductively.

He ran his hands through his hair, "No, come on Hermione, you have to rest."

"Come on. I can really give you a good time. I bet you've never had a stripper before." She giggled.

"Stripper?" He repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Hermione placed her hand on her forehead, "Ow, my head hurts like hell."

He layed her down, "You have to sleep Hermione. You'll feel better in the morning."

She moaned in pain, "Okay. Ugh, it really fucking hurts. Like a bowling ball hit my head."

He shushed her, "Just try to rest. I'll get you some medicine."

"Okay." She said calmly.

He tip toed down the stairs to get Ibuprofen for her. The refrigerator was always full. Living in a big family, it was no surprise. He took out the little bottle and poured some in a medicine cup. He also got her a glass of orange juice as well to drain out the taste of the medicine. He went back upstairs and saw her resting peacefully. He thought she looked beautiful.

He whispered, "Hey, here's the medicine. I hope you like orange juice."

She pulled the blanket away and took the medicine and the glass of juice. "Thanks." She drank the medicine in one sip and drank half of the orange juice.

He took back the medicine and the juice and placed them on his nightstand. He went over to his spot on the floor. "Goodnight Hermione. Sleep tight."


	8. Fanciful Encounter

_**So here's a long chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy it! ;)**_

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The sun was barely out. It was almost half past six. Hermione woke up but she didn't get out of bed. She felt dizzy. She didn't remember much about the past night.

Ron was snoring so he was in a deep sleep. She put her jacket on and went downstairs. When she went in the kitchen, she saw one of the twins.

He didn't see her until he took out a gallon of milk from the fridge. He greeted her with a smile, "Hey, haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah." She paused for a moment. She played with her hands out of nervousness, "Don't you think that it's weird that a stranger is in your house?"

He shrugged, "Well, it was weird at first, but any friend of Ron's is a friend of mine."

She looked at him for a moment, "So are you Fred or George?"

At first he had a blank expression, then he smiled, "I'm Fred."

She felt her heart racing. She was concerned if Fred was still suspicious that she worked at Desire. She doesn't remember seeing him in the club. There were certainly no redheads there.

There was silence between them until he suddenly laughed, "I'm joking. I'm George."

She playfully punched him in his shoulder, "Don't do that!"

He felt his arm, "You know, Fred fancies you."

She nodded like it was obvious, "Yeah, I can see that."

"But your way out of his league. I bet your boyfriend would be so mad at him." He poured cereal into his bowl.

She leaned against the counter, "What boyfriend?"

He grabbed a spoon and started eating his cereal, "Well a pretty girl like you would have a boyfriend with big muscles and a six pack."

She crossed her arms. "I actually don't have a boyfriend."

He suddenly burst into laughter, he ended up coughing out some of his cereal, "Are you kidding?"

She shook her head, "No. Never had one."

"Really?" said Fred. He walked into the kitchen once she said that.

"Yes!" She shouted. She was hoping nobody in the house heard her, or the entire neighborhood for that matter. George took his cereal and left the kitchen.

"Well, maybe you'd like to have one?" Fred grabbed her hand and kissed it. She quickly took her hand back.

Hermione smiled, "You're very sweet, but I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now."

"Well, let me know if you change your mind, beautiful." He winked at her and smiled.

She shook her head, "No, really. It's fine. I'm not looking to date anyone." She said again firmly.

Fred persisted, "Come on, I know we can have some fun together."

She started smiling, "On second thought, come closer. You're pretty cute."

Fred happily took a step closer to her, placing his hands on her hips. He was breathing heavily.

She felt hot but she loved it. She knew what she was doing. Hermione smiled flirtatiously, "So, what did you have in mind?

He got her up on the kithen counter, he removed her jacket and kissed her neck, he moved his hands down her body and left them on the counter. He was busy kissing her softly.

He pulled away, "I think I know what I want to do today. I'm looking at it right now."

She giggled and played with the buttons of his shirt. "Oh, really? I think I'd like that very much."

He looked at the skirt she was wearing, he ran his hands over her legs, "You're seriously so sexy. I want to do so many things to you."

She smiled at him and touched his arm, "Like what?"

"Oh my God. I just want to rip off your clothes." He said quietly.

She put her finger in her mouth and smiled up at him, "Mm, you're such a naughty boy."

She put her hand on her shirt and rolled it up over her head. She was left in her bra and her skirt.

Fred was in awe by the sight. "Oh my God. Your body is amazing."

She threw her shirt to the side, "Do you know what I want to do?" She kissed him softly. Fred fondled her, making her moan.

"What do you want?" He asked kissing her. She loved feeling him kiss her.

She leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, "I want you to do whatever you want to me." She smiled seductively.

"You can undress me, you can touch me. You can even fuck me if you want." She laughed after realizing she cursed.

He was breathing heavily, he french kissed her and ran his hands over her. She closed her eyes and kissed back. Her lip gloss came off as they kissed.

"Baby, go ahead and do it. Take off my skirt. Nobody's around." She giggled.

"I want to see those amazing breasts of yours first." He responded.

"Go ahead." She tossed her head back and let him unclasp her bra from behind. It fell effortlessly on her lap.

He moved his hands on her breasts, squeezing them. "You're so perfect."

She moaned, "Fred, keep doing that." She moaned louder when he fondled them harder. She loved the feeling of Fred touching her and kissing her. He slipped off her skirt, past her heels and let it fall on the floor. She giggled and kissed him violently. She wrapped her arms around him as they kissed.

"Fred?" A voice said. It came from outside the kitchen. It was a familiar voice.

Hermione quickly pulled away and saw Ron, standing by the doorway. Fred turned around and saw his younger brother.

"Ron?" She said in disbelief. "Ron, look, he was just kissing me and I couldn't help it."

"How could you do this to me?" Ron yelled. "I wake up this morning to find my brother feeling up on my girlfriend?"

Hermione gasped, "Girlfriend?"

"Look, I'm sorry man." Fred said. He tried to apologize to his brother but to no avail.

"Don't talk to me!" He snapped. He felt his anger bottling up. He's never been this angry in his life.

"Ron, please don't yell." Hermione begged.

He pushed her, "No Hermione! I can't believe you would do this!"

She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him, "Ron! Ron! You have to open your eyes! Wake up!"

She shook him harder, "Wake up!"

Ron opened his eyes and saw Hermione next to him, shaking him awake. He was in his bedroom. He was no longer in the kitchen anymore. Fred wasn't here either.

"Bloody hell." He felt his forehead. It was hot and it ached. He looked up at Hermione, who felt his head.

"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked worringly. She was kneeling beside him.

He rubbed his head, "Yeah. I just had a really bad dream."

"Sorry about that. I could go get you a pack of ice. Maybe you'll feel better." She got up to go to the kitchen, but Ron grabbed her hand.

"No, no. I'm fine. Just being here with you feels nice." He grinned at her.

She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She kissed his cheek, "You're really sweet Ron."

He could have sworn he saw her blushing. He noticed she was wearing the same jacket she wore in her dream.

He sat up, "Uh, Hermione, can I wear that jacket? I'm kind of cold."

"Oh, sure. I was just wearing it to cover myself up." She took off the jacket and gave it to him.

"Thanks." He said taking it from her. "Hey, why did you wake me up?"

"Oh, sorry." She quickly apologized. "I just heard a strange noise and I got scared. It's stupid now that I think about it."

"Oh no, it's not stupid Hermione." He said. He didn't want her to feel like he was mad at her.

She sighed, "You know, I used to always be scared of hearing things in the dark. I lived in a loud neighborhood. People always yell outside. I also lived with a lot of people so when they'd walk up the stairs, it made a creepy noise."

Ron listened, he was interested in hearing about her childhood. "What were you like as a girl?"

She laughed and looked down, "There really isn't much to talk about."

He scoffed, "Oh come on. Tell me!"

She looked at him, "You sound like a little kid wanting candy."

"So? Please!" He had his hands together, begging for her to tell him.

She giggled, "Well, I loved people and I loved to play with other kids."

"You sound like a people person." He joked.

She laughed, "Haha, very funny." She gazed at him for a while.

Ron looked back at her, "What?"

"I just wanted to thank you. For everything. I really appreciated what you've done the past few days." She said softly.

He nodded, "No problem."

Her eyes lit up, she looked really happy. She loved talking to Ron and meeting his friends. For the first time in her life, she felt different. In a good way.

She leaned closer to him, she hoped that he wouldn't think this was strange. She pressed her lips to his, she felt a happy feeling in her heart. He kissed her back softly and slowly. She smiled while kissing him.

She pulled away, her face changed. It looked like she was full of guilt. "I-I'm sorry for doing that."

He held her hands, "No Hermione. Don't be sorry." He coughed and sat there awkwardly. She laughed at his shyness.

He looked offended, "What?"

She was trying hard not to laugh, "It's just cute when you do that."

He grabbed her hand, "Why did you kiss me, Hermione?"

She looked at her hand and smiled. "I don't know. I just did it. I just think you're really cute and you've been so nice to me."

He kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you. You know, I kind of have a crush on you."

She had a look of disbelief on her face, "Seriously? Since when?"

He moved his hands, "Well, I mean you're beautiful."

She blushed at the compliment, "Oh, stop it."

"No, seriously. You're fun to be around and you're always happy." He smiled and kissed the back of her hand.

Hermione smiled at him, but she felt uneasy. She cared about him, butshe had to tell the truth. She had a sick feeling in her stomach. What if he got mad at her?

She felt like she was going to pass put, "Ron, I think you need to know something." She said nervously.

"What is it?" He asked. His tone made it sound like he was worried.

"I-" She opened her mouth and tried to say it but she couldn't. She got more anxious by the second.

Seeing her scared made Ron comfort her, "Hey, look, you can tell me. Just say it." He rubbed her back more.

Her eyes were beginning to water up. She held them in. She shook her head, "You might be furious."

He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face up, "I won't get mad, Hermione. I'll listen."

She felt calmer when he touched her. She deeply exhaled, "I'm-"

He raised his eyebrows, "You're what? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, no! No, I don't have one." Hermione quickly responded. She could hear the jealousy in his voice.

She took another breath and decided to just say it. "Okay." She held his hand tighter. "Ron, I'm a stripper."

Ron froze for a second, then widened his eyes. Hermione couldn't tell what he felt in thar moment. She felt her heart beating fast. Was he mad? Was he shocked? He let go of her hands and stood up.

"WHAT?!"


	9. Ginny and Harry

_**I'm shocked to see how many people want to hear about Hermione's past! I originally wanted to write it in the previous chapter but thought it was inappropriate to have it in the same chaprer as that Hermione/George dream. Don't worry, I'll be including it soon! Enjoy!**_

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Hermione tried to calm him down. She hates seeing the look on his face, "Ron, you said you wouldn't be mad."

He looked at her, "No, I'm not mad. I-I'm just shocked." He walked back and forth. "You never told me this before!"

"I know, I just, I never had to bring it up anyway, so I never felt like I needed too." She said weakly. She couldn't apprehend what was happening.

"Oh my God." He said looking at her, he was freaked out. "So, you work at that club? The one over there? That night when I saw you with that man?"

She stayed quiet. She was too upset. Eventually, she nodded, "Yes. He asked me to come home with him. But- but then he tried to-" she looked down at her hands.

"I can't believe it." He put his hand on his forehead. He continued pacing until eventually, he calmed down, "Hermione."

She was looking away from him, thinking to herself. He held her hands, "Look, I don't care if you're a stripper. That's not going to change my mind about you."

She shook her head when she shed a tear, "I'm just sick of people always being shameful of me. They hate me just because I do this and I didn't do anything to them."

"They don't uderstand you." He replied. She was still crying, her eyes were filling with tears. "Hermione, look at me. Look at me." He sounded more agressive in the second sentence.

She got a bit frightened, but then Ron smiled at her, assuring her that he wasn't mad. "You are seriously the sweetest, most loving girl I've met, and you being a stripper doesn't change that."

She slowly stopped crying and smiled at him. He smiled back at her, "You have such a pretty smile."

She giggled, "You're such a dork."

Ron looked at the clock, "Oh, we should get to work, go and get your things. I'll wait in the car for you." He grabbed his car keys and ran out the door.

She quietly squealed to herself, "I'm Ron's girlfriend! I'm Ron's girlfriend!" She stopped before anyone noticed, she grabbed her bag and followed Ron out.

She realized that she never brought Ginny along with her to work so she looked around the house for her. She finally found her in the living room, reading a book.

Hermione looked at her from the corner, "Psst. Ginny." She whispered.

Ginny gasped and looked back from the couch. She had her hand to her heart, "My God Hermione. Don't sneak up on people like that!"

Hermione laughed and raised her hands, "Sorry. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to work with me. You know, to see Harry."

Ginny couldn't help but smile, "Harry? Really?"

Hermione clapped her hands, "Yeah! Come on, come with us!"

She really wanted her to talk to Ginny. She seemed shy to talk to him so Hermione wanted to help her be confident enough to talk to him.

Ginny's smile faded when her expression changed, "But what if he doesn't notice me?"

Hermione scoffed, "Ginny, I'm sure he'll notice you. Trust me. Come on." She took her hand and led her outside.

Hermione saw the car and opened the passeger's seat to gently lay her bag on the floor. She opened the door in the back for Ginny.

"Why is she coming?" Ron asked Hermione. He sounded slightly annoyed.

She turned around, "It's for the sake of love."

Ron made a face, "What?"

"Just let her come with us." She said in fustration.

Ginny laughed as she went inside. Hermione quickly got in as well. "Come on Ron, we better go now. It's almost nine."

"Alright, let's roll!" He started the engine and drove off.

Hermione couldn't wait to see Luna so she can catch up with her about everything new in her life. She thought of how she was going to make Harry talk to Ginny. She thought of introducing her to him or just talking about her with him.

"I need one chocolate cheesecake and a vanilla milkshake!" Seamus yelled after he read the order.

"Coming up!" Luna replied. She put two scoops of ice cream in a blender with milk and sugar.

Seamus was cooking patties, he was being really careful. He was known for causing accidents in the kitchen.

Neville chopped carrots and celery and put the ingredients in a pot of soup.

Hermione entered the café with Ginny. She looked behind her, "Come on Ginny, don't be shy. I'll talk to him."

She saw the other waiters serving food to people. She went over to the back and looked for Harry. "Huh, he's not here." She then went in the kitchen and saw the other workers.

Seamus looked up from his pan, "Hey Hermione."

Hermione waved to him, "Hi, Seamus." She saw Neville tasting the soup and Luna was making cheesecake. "Everything looks great guys. Keep up the good work!" She gave them two thumbs up before leaving.

She lit up when she finally saw Harry. He was at one of the tables. He was drinking coffee, he smiled when he saw Hermione.

She waved happily at him, "Hey Harry!" She grabbed Ginny behind her, "You've met Ginny, right?"

"Yeah, I know Ginny." He smiled.

She weakly waved at him, "Hi, Harry."

"Why don't you guys talk for a while." She suggested. "Harry, maybe you can talk about what it's like to run the place."

Ginny brushed her hair back, "So, how are things with you and your brother?"

"We're cool. He's awesome." He took a sip of his coffee.

"How do you know Hermione?" She asked curiously.

"Well, Ron just came in one day and she was with her. Maybe she's a friend that he knew for a while. I don't know. She's an excellent employee."

She nodded, "Listen Harry, I was wondering if you'd want to hang out tonight."

He raised his eyebrow, "Like a date?"

She fumbled with her hands, "Well, if you want to call it that."

He laughed, "It's alright. Where did you want to go?"

She shrugged, "Here is fine." She gave him her best smile and twisted her hair a little.

He held his cup, "That's great. I guess I'll see you here tonight. Is eight okay?"

"How about seven?" She suggested. She secretly wanted it to be earlier, just so she can see him earlier and wouldn't have to wait another hour.

"Okay. I'll see you tonight Ginny." He said happily.

She looked at him in disbelief, "Really, Um, okay. I'l see you tonight." She got up from her seat and waved goodbye to him.

"Yes! Yes! I have a date!" She said in excitement.

Hermione poured a cup of black coffee and served it to the elderly man in the corner. She looked around to see if Draco was around but he wasn't. That's when she realized that he had asked her out to dinner tonight at eight. She almost forgot, mostly because she was drunk when he asked her.

She smacked her head, "Stupid. Stupid!" She groaned, "I can't have dinner with this guy!"

She really had a dilemma, she'd have to tell Draco to call off their date. But she didn't have his number. He only knew that she was near Billius street. He wouldn't know if she didn't want to go anymore.

"What do I tell Ron? I don't want him to know what I'm doing tonight. What do I say when he sees me wearing a dress? I'm just going to the grocery store?" Her head was filling with questions. She had to come up with a plan, and fast.


	10. A Dubious Event

_**A/N: So here's an interesting chapter for you guys. I just want to take a moment and thank you for reading my story. This is hands down my favorite story I've ever written and also the most popular I've written too. I almost have 5,000 views on this story. Hugs and kisses! xoxo**_

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Hermione used Ron's car to go to her house to get some of her clothes. She hasn't been there for a while, but she had her dresses there so she had to get them.

She was in Ron's room, in the bathroom looking in the mirror. She zipped up her black dress. It was a rather short dress. It stopped above her knees. Glitter was scattered all over the dress. The dress complimented her body and showed a bit of cleavage.

She was shocked to see herself in the mirror. She looked amazing. She had smoky black eyeshadow and red lips. She wanted her makeup to look dramatic as possible. She remembered the last tine she wore the dress. It's been a year or two. She wore it one night at the club. She remembered the first time she wore it, she felt sexy and confident.

She finished straightening her hair and took a final look in the mirror. She turned around to see herself in different angles. She took her phone and came out of the bathroom. She gasped when she saw Ron, playing his guitar on his bed.

He looked up at her. "Bloody hell Hermione, where are you going?"

She paused and stuttered, "Uh, my- my friend, she invited me to a wedding. Her sister is getting married to this guy she met in middle school." Hermione smiled to herself for coming up with that story.

"Wow. That's great. But Hermione, isn't that a little much for a wedding?" He motioned his hands in front of her.

She looked down at her dress and looked back at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it looks like you're going to a club." He explained.

She seemed offended, "What? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, your dress is kind of short." He said slowly.

"What, you don't like it?" She brushed her hair behind her ear.

He stuttered, "No, no. I, I love it. I mean- you look beautiful." He put his guitar beside him.

She blushed, she thought he was adorable, "Thank you. I would kiss you but I don't want to ruin my lipstick."

He shrugged, "I don't mind."

She gasped, "You're disgusting."

He laughed. He was still staring at her, she started to feel uncomfortable. "Um, Ron, can you stop that? Please?"

"Oh, sorry." He laughed and looked down. She actually liked that he was staring, she felt like she dressed right for the occasion.

An idea suddenly popped in her head. She tore a piece of paper from Ron's notebook and wrote down her number.

She handed it to him, "Call me if I'm not back by ten. Just in case something happens, okay?"

He took the paper, "Okay. Be safe, Hermione."

She grabbed her purse and looked back at him, "Bye Ron, I'll see you in an hour or two." She closed the door behind her and hurried outside.

Hermione was outside and saw Ron's car. She couldn't help but smile when she saw it. She walked on the sidewalk to see if Draco was coming. She remembered that he said he had a black car so she looked for a black car.

She didn't want to stand in her heels so she kept walking back and forth. She frequently checked her phone to see the time. It's almost been five minutes since she's been waiting.

Suddenly, a black Jaguar turned the corner, the headlights were turned on. His window as down, he was leaning against the door.

"Okay, just tell him you want to be friends. No kissing, no touching. None of that." She said to herself.

She waved her hand to get his attention, "Draco! Draco! Over here!"

It took a moment before he noticed her and pulled over. She waited for him to come out. He was wearing a black tuxedo.

He walked over to her, "Hey, Hermione!" He took a moment to see what she was wearing, "Wow, you look amazing!"

She smiled, "Thank you Draco. Where are we eating?"

"At my place, of course." He said it like it was obvious.

She stood in silence, "Oh, alright."

"Okay." He went back into his seat. She was a little annoyed that he didn't open the door for her like Ron did. She shook it off, maybe she was being a diva.

He drove to the mansion she had been the night before. This time, there were no people. Hermione was surprised to see that in the kitchen, there was a candlelit dinner and music playing in the background.

"Wow, this is really nice Draco." She looked at the big chandelier hanging over the table. There was seafood on the table, it was actually her favorite.

"Go ahead." He offered. He took a seat at the end of the table. It was a fancy looking wooden table. It was really shiny as well. She took the seat across from him and picked up the fork to eat the shrimp. She didn't know if she should strike up a coversation with him.

"You want some champagne?" He asked out of nowhere.

She smiled, "Sure. Yes, I'd love some. Thanks."

He got up and got a bottle of champagne from a cooler. He poured some in wine glasses. Hermione nervously continued to eat while he got the drinks.

She looked at the paintings on the wall. There were Da Vinci and Salvador Dali paintings. He gave her a glass of champagne which she gladly took.

"You told me you were a writer. So, what do you write?" She took a sip of her champagne.

"Well, I write about my life. About my father and how he could've been a better parent. I also write about beautiful things." He smiled at her.

She fidgeted in her seat, she was wondering if he was implying something to her. She pulled her dress down a bit so it wasn't showing too much.

She crossed her arms, "Draco? Did you spike the punch at that party last night?" She didn't care anymore, she wanted to stand her ground.

He looked confused, like he thought she was crazy or something, "What? Spiked the punch?"

"Yes! I got drunk last night. When I got home, I was drunk." she explained.

He came to the realization, "Oh, that must have been Goyle."

"Who?"

Goyle was one of Draco's obnoxious friends. He was always the jokester who messed with people.

He pounded the table, "Goyle always does that. I'll have a talk with him. I'm so sorry about that. I didn't know he would do something like that."

"No, it's fine. Nothing really bad happened anyway." She gave him am assuring smile. She didn't mind.

He said nothing but he nodded. She stood up from the chair and went over to the side to look at the paintings. "Are these originals?" She pointed at the Da Vinci paintings.

"Yes, they are. My mother knows someone." He stood beside her.

Nothing but silence filled the room. Hermione bit her lip in anticipation of what was going to happen. She prayed that he wouldn't do anything bad to her.

Eventually, he broke the silence, "You know. I've seen girls my whole life. But I never saw one like you before." he ran his hand on her arm.

She took his arm away from her, "Is that a compliment?" She laughed nervously.

"Yeah. You might be the most beautiful girl I've laid eyes on." He grabbed her hand.

"Um, do you have any movies we could watch?" She said, wanting to change the subject.

"I'd rather watch you." He said cooly.

She blushed when he said that. She admitted that he was charming. "No, I want to watch a movie. Together."

"Oh come on. That's such a typical thing to do on a date. I just want to look at you." He rubbed his hand beside her waist. "Je veux que tu me embrasses, petite dame."

Hermione gasped, then said slowly, "Pas même si vous étiez le dernier homme sur cette planète entière. Obtenir vos mains hors de moi."

Draco took his hand away from her and looked surprised. "Wow, you know French too?"

She had her hands on her hips, "Yeah. A girl I used to work with was French. Her name's Nicole. Maybe you can look her up in that list of all the girls you hit on."

He just chuckled, "What are you talking about? I don't have a list like that."

She crossed her arms, "Really? I'd like to bet on that."

He laughed more, "You're funny."

She knew that he was kidding, "But it isn't a joke." She retorted.

"Hey, why don't you spend the night here?" He offered.

"Thank you, but I'm fine." She said.

"Come on, I have a nice bedroom. There's a room with a tv and everything." He grabbed her arms and begged for her to stay.

"I'm fine with sleeping in my own bed, thanks." She made her way to the door because he was acting strange.

"Come on, just stay. Please? I'm always here by myself. It gets lonely around here." He said glumly.

"Where is your mother?" She asked him. He previously mentioned that he didn't talk to his father but remembered he mentioned his mother as well.

"I just live here on my own. I don't live with her." He explained.

She was surprised, "Why not?"

"Well, we sort of had a falling out." He looked at the ground.

"Well, that's nice to know. Look, I really have to get going." She opened the door but again, he stopped her.

"Come on Hermione, I want you to stay with me." He really sounded like he was being genuine.

Hermione was both annoyed and impressed at his persistence. "You don't even know me."

"I want to get to know you better." She looked at him skeptically. He kissed her hand. "Please. I don't want you to leave yet. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

She sighed, maybe he really was a nice guy. Maybe he felt sorry for being mean before and wanted to change. Hermione didn't want to assume that he was evil. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. She didn't know what to do in that moment.


	11. Memories

Hermione looked at him, eventually she gave in, "Fine. But don't do anything weird." She said pointing a finger at him.

He quickly smiled and hugged her. He got so excited that he picked her up off the ground and started spinning her. He realized what he was doing and put her down. "Sorry. I got a bit carried away.

She giggled, "It's okay."

He coughed, "Well, follow me."

She followed him up the stairs. He had a really nice home. The floor was sparkling clean and the walls were decorated beautifully.

"You live in this big house all by yourself?" She looked around, it was a house everyone would dream of having. The house had to be two or three times the size of her own house.

"Yeah, ever since I was little, I couldn't wait to get a house of my own. Prove to my parents that I could do something." He said. He sounded like he had a bad relationship with his parents. She was a bit curious.

They stood in front of a door to a room. "So, this is an extra room that I don't really use." He opened the door and let Hermione go in first.

She could not believe her eyes when she stepped in. "Wow!" The walls were a beige color and the carpet was white. Inside the room was a flat screen television, a stunning bed with pillows near the headboard, and a beautiful view of the city. "This room if gorgeous!"

He leaned against the doorway, "Yeah. Maybe it could be yours someday."

Hermione looked down shyly, she took a seat on the bed. To her surprise, instead of him leaving, he took a seat next to her.

He bit his lip, "So uh, where are you from?"

She sighed, "What is this? 20 questions?"

He laughed, "No, I'm just wondering. I've never seen you around this place before."

She shrugged, "So? There's a lot of people who are new around here too."

"But you're different. You're not like most people here." The longer she stayed with him, the more genuine he sounded. She could tell by the look on his face.

She folded her hands, "Geez, is that a compliment?"

He nodded slowly, "Yes, it certainly is."

She covered her mouth to stop her from laughing, "Are you always this sarcastic?"

"I don't know. You tell me." He said.

She smiled, "Well, it's hard to say. I actually don't know where I'm from. You see, I never knew my parents. I don't know what happened to them. All I know is that I'm not from here. I moved here a few years ago. And-" she heard her own voice break. "It's really hard for me to talk about it. Maybe I can tell you a different time."

He comforted her, "Alright. You should probably rest now." He kissed her hand again and got up to leave her alone.

She checked to make sure he was out of ear shot and closed the door. "This is so not happening."

That moment, she remembered that Ron had to call her at ten if she wasn't back. It was just a quarter after nine, so she wanted to stay up later so she can tell him that she was at a friend's house.

She unstrapped her heels and placed them beside the bed. Her dress was tight on her, she didn't want to sleep in it. She thought of taking it off but she had nothing but her lingerie on underneath.

She hoped that Draco wouldn't barge in on her in the middle of the night. She was wondering how Ginny was doing. She knew Ginny and Harry went on a date earlier.

It killed her that she wouldn't get to hear what happened until tomorrow. The city was nice at night. Everything was lit up by the streetlights, the cars, and the buildings.

She got bored laying on the bed so she looked through her purse. Nothing but money, lip gloss, and her phone was in there.

She took out her phone and checked the time. "9:30. Okay, he's going to call me in half an hour."

She looked at her contact list and saw the names of some of the girls she worked with. She wanted to get Ron and Ginny's number so she can call them when she was away.

It got really dark outside. She was always afraid of the dark. As a little girl, she'd pull the blankets over her head to hide from the darkness.

She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. She kept tossing and turning. She couldn't sleep and she didn't know why. She usually always has no problem sleeping. For some reason she couldn't sleep.

She groaned as she picked herself up off the bed. She put on her heels, then she sneaked her way to the door. She opened it to see if Draco was around.

It was scary that she was the only one making noise. Everything was dead quiet, she felt like she was in a horror movie. She thinking about leaving but that wasn't an option anymore.

"Hey!"

She gasped and turned around, "Draco, what the hell?"

"Sorry. What are you doing out here?"

She tried to catch her breath, "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to walk around, and eventually I'll tire myself out."

"I can help you sleep." He offered.

"No, it's okay. I'll find a way to sleep." She stood still, deciding if she should go back to her room or stay put.

"I'm an insomniac. I can never sleep." He sighed.

She nodded, "Well, neither can I. I don't know why. I usually don't have a hard time sleeping."

"Yeah." He said, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

She cocked her head a little, "Sure."

"That guy you were with last night. What was his name?"

"Oh, Ron? What about him?" She was suspicious.

"Ron? As in Ronald Weasley?" His eyebrow was raised.

She nodded slowly, "Yeah."

"I can't belive this! That was Ronald?" He asked again.

"Yup, pretty sure." She said feeling annoyed.

"Wow, he's so different than he was back in high school!"

This sparked her curiousity, "What was he like in high school?" She was excited to hear about what Ron used to be like.

"He used to be so nerdy." he said. "Like, he had these glasses that were too big for his face and he'd always talk about comic books and superheroes and everything."

"Really? Wow." She actually liked the idea of Ron obsessing over comic books.

"He also wore these braces that looked a bit big on his teeth. But I will say, he was a damn good athlete. He was on the basketball team and the football team."

Her eyes lit up. She was hearing about her boyfriend from an old classmate. It was really interesting for her. She wondered if Harry went to the same school as well, or if Ginny did as well.

Another thought came to mind, "He told me you were in the basketball team as well."

He smiled pretentiously, "Yup, I was team captain."

She nodded, "That's really cool. Did you really talk to Ron?"

"Not really, actually. He never really spoke to me. He was kind of shy."

"Really? That's hard to believe."

He nodded, "Yeah. He's changed a lot. I wonder if he still plays basketball."

"Oh, he does. I played with him before." She smiled as the memory popped up in her head.

He looked taken aback, "Wait, you play basketball?"

She shrugged, "A little."

"Whoa. A chick that can play basketball?"

"Yeah. Girls can play basketball too, you know."

He chuckled, "Were you a cheerleader at our school?"

"No, I wasn't. I was actually homeschooled."

He grinned, "Ah, I ask because you actually look a lot like this one cheerleader. She was always in a good mood all the time."

She smiled weakly and looked at her shoes.

"Can I ask you something?"

She felt her body freeze, "Sure."

He smiled out of nowhere, "Are you two dating?"

"Who? Me and the cheerleader?" She asked confused.

This made him laugh, "No. You and Ron."

"Oh. Yeah. We are." She blushed.

"Wow. Who would've thought that Ron would get a girl like you?"

She made a face, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he never really had luck with girls. Girls never really talked to him. Some of the cheerleaders would actually make fun of him."

"What?" She said in shock.

He nodded, "Yeah. They called him names and made fun of his glasses."

She couldn't take all of that in all at once. "Wow."

"He even asked a girl to prom and she told him she wanted someone better to ask her."

She was mad that someone would do that to Ron, "Whoa, that sucks."

"And for him to find someone like you. It's unbelievable." He said as if it was bizarre. "I hope that you guys are happy together."

She smiled, "That's very nice of you, Draco. Really."

He stretched his arms, "Wow, I'm getting sleepy. I think I better get back to my room. Good night Hermione."

"Good night, Draco." She quickly checked her phone. It was almost ten, she couldn't wait for Ron to call her.

She went back inside her room and closed the door quietly. She was still so happy to be Ron's girlfriend. She hasn't been this happy in a long time. She did have second thoughts about it too. She questioned herself if she really liked him or because it was because he saved her. She asked herself so many questions. Her phone rang, making her stop thinking.

The caller id read 'Unknown' but she picked it up.

"Hello?" She said quietly.

"Hi. Who is this?" The other person on the line asked.

Her heart was beating fast, "Um, Hermione."

"Oh, Hermione! I barely recognized your voice." It was Ron.

"Ron? Oh hi! My friend offered me to stay at her place for the night. She wanted me to stay after the wedding. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah. That's fine, Hermione."

She didn't want to disappoint him, "I'll be back in the morning. I promise."

"Okay then. Good night Hermione."

"Bye, Ron." She ended the call. She had hoped that conversation would have gone better. She was afraid she might have made him upset.

She groaned as she threw herself on the bed. She wasn't sure what happened between Draco and Ron, but she had a feeling that Ron might have just been jealous of him.

She quickly regretted staying at Draco's. Only because she missed Ron. Ever since they met, they pretty much went everywhere together. She wondered if he was still playing with his guitar or if he was asleep already. Eventually she got sleepy, so she layed her head on the pillow and wrapped herself in the blaket.

Hermione woke up really early. The big glass window let in so much sunshine, it woke her up. She didn't complain though. The view was amazing. She felt really euphoric, she couldn't wait to see Ron again.

She went in the bathroom to look if there was a brush. Luckily, there was. Hermione hated how her hair looked in the morning. She brushed it about a thousand times before setting the brush down.

When she came back to her room, Draco was there, standing near her bed. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say good morning." He smiled. "I can make you breakfast if you're hungry."

She walked over to the nightstand to open her purse, "Oh no. I'm not hungry. I really need to go home though."

He didn't say anything. "Oh. Okay."

She felt remorse, "Maybe we can hang out again another time?"

He smiled again, "Yeah. You want my number?"

"Yeah. Put it in." She handed him her pink phone.

He began pressing the buttons to put his phone number in. "Okay, Draco Malfoy. Six-two-one.."

He muttered the rest of the numbers. Hermione stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to give her phone back.

"Okay. Here you go." He clasped his hands together.

"Thanks. Bye!" She waved goodbye and quickly left his home. She took a deep breath. She was glad to be out of there. Not that she didn't like Draco, but because she hasn't seen Ron since last night. She wondered what he thought that she was doing. Hopefully he wouldn't be too angry at her.


	12. Tenderness

She had to walk three blocks to get to the Weasley household. And in heels. "It's going to be worth it." she said to herself.

She passed all the beautiful houses. White ones, blue ones, and even yellow ones. Some people were playing with their pets outside. There were only a few cars passing by. The neighborhood wasn't really crowded with people. She even saw a couple, kissing each other on a swing on the front porch of a house.

Finally, she got to the Weasley home. The garden was still as beautiful as when she first saw it. She wondered if everyone was asleep. She didn't want to make noise and freak everyone out.

She turned the doorknob as slowly as possible and opened the door. "Hello?" She looked around and nobody seemed to be around.

She slipped off her shoes and held them in her hands so she wouldn't make the stairs creak louder than they usually did. Ron's door was half way opened.

"Oh God." she muttered. Ron might've be awake.

When she peaked inside, she saw Ron on the floor in his usual spot. He was asleep. She smiled, she thought he looked adorable when he was asleep. He wasn't snoring this time.

She turned her head to her bed, there was something on the table. She placed her bag and shoes down. It was a red rose and a note for Hermione:

 _Hi Hermione. If you're reading this. Welcome back. I missed you._

 _\- Ron_

She smiled to herself and smelled the rose. It was fresh. She put it back in the vase. She sneaked up beside Ron and kissed his cheek. It was one of the sweetest things that she's ever gotten.

She jumped when Ron started to move around, he opened his eyes. "Hermione?" His voice sounded deeper.

She nodded, "Yeah. It's me Ron."

"You're still wearing that dress." he commented.

"Yeah. I am." she clarified.

"You look really nice." he yawned.

She laughed, "Why are you being weird?"

He gave her a look, "I'm not being weird."

"Yes, you are." she remarked.

"No, I'm not." he said.

"Yes you are." she said tauntingly.

"No I'm not!" he suddenly grabbed her and rolled her around on the ground.

She shrieked, then started laughing. "Ron!"

He had her pinned down on the ground. She was still giggling. "What's wrong with you?"

"You called me weird!" he whined.

She couldn't stop laughing, "You're such a baby."

He let go of her arms and let her sit up. "I missed you."

Hermione couldn't help how cute he was. He had those sad, puppy dog eyes. "I missed you too." She gave him a quick kiss. He wrapped his arms from behind her.

He smiled at her, "Y'know, Ginny went on a date with Harry. She's been talking about him all night."

"Oh, I have to ask her about that." Hermione had forgotten about them.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" she laughed, "Because I hooked them up! She was nervous about talking to Harry so I got them together."

"I remember when she first told me she liked him. It was weird having your sister have a crush on your best friend. Although I did find out he fancies her not that long ago." He revealed a lot.

Hermione widened her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me that? I could've told her that he likes her too!"

He raised his voice, "Well, I didn't know you were playing matchmaker with my sister!"

She giggled, "I'm sorry! I just want Ginny to come out of her shell. I used to be the same way."

He raised an eyebrow, "You were?"

"Yeah! I was really shy. I never really had a lot of friends." she sounded upset for a moment.

He brushed a piece of hair from her face, "I'm sorry Hermione."

"No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to, Ron." she smiled at her boyfriend, "A certain someone helped me with that."

His eyes wandered around the room. "Who?"

"Well, he has dreamy eyes and a disarming smile."

"Harry? Neville? Seam-"

She stopped him by kissing him softly on his lips. She pulled away and looked at his eyes. She laughed, "Does that answer your question?"

He shook his head, "No. Not really."

She scoffed, "You, you idiot."

"Oh!" he pretended to realize it.

"I should go and talk to Ginny. I want to hear about what happened." she was excited and she wanted to hear everything about their date.

"Alright, I'll see you later."

She let go of his arm. "It'll just take ten minutes."

She grabbed her shoes and ran out as quickly a possible. She opened the door to Ginny's room and found her doing something on her phone.

Hermione squealed, "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny, Ginny, Ginny! Tell me everything!"

Ginny smiled, "Whoa, girl. Calm down, I'll tell you when you've calmed down!"

Hermione stopped jumping, "Sorry."

Ginny noticed her ensemble, "Uh, why are you wearing a dress?"

"I'll tell you later. Just tell me what happened between you and Harry!"

"Alright, so I'm dressed in this really nice green dress, and he's dressed really casual compared to me. Even then, he complimented my dress." Ginny couldn't stop smiling.

Hermione listened, "Go on."

"Okay, so we both order iced coffees and we both talk about a lot of stuff. He told me he likes to do magic tricks."

"Really?" Hermione asked, "That's really interesting."

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, he loves Houdini and Copperfield. He's loved magic since he was little."

"I want to see him do a magic trick sometime." Hermione said.

"Yeah. We talked about his favorite movies. It was amazing." she sighed dreamily.

"Aww, young love." Hermione said teasingly.

"Oh shut up." Ginny pushed her.

"Ginny and Harry sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Hermione sang.

"Hermione, I swear to God, if you don't shut up, I'll-"

"You'll what?" she asked.

Ginny groaned, "You're lucky you're my friend."

Hermione laughed, "I'm going out with your brother now."

Ginny gasped, "Ron?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, George. Yes, Ron!"

"Ron? Are you kidding-"

Hermione covered her mouth, "Shh, not so loud!" she removed her hand.

Ginny looked around then whispered, "Ron? But you barely know him."

Hermione nodded, "I know, but I just kissed him the other day and I don't know if I really like him or not and I'm just confused!" she covered her face with her hands.

"Hey." Ginny touched her shoulder. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Just give it some time. Ron's really cool and if he's going out with anyone, I'm happy it's you."

"Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I mean it's nice that he has a girlfriend."

Hermione sighed, "I just don't know if what I feel for him is real or not." she raised her shoulders, "But, I know I really like him."

Ginny nodded, "So, why are you wearing that?"

Hermione looked down at her dress, she regretted not changing back to her other clothes. "Okay, I'll tell you. But only if you don't tell Ron."

"Why don't you want me to tell Ron?"

"Because," she inhaled, "Because I went to Draco Malfoy's house."

Ginny's eyes widened, "Draco Malfoy?"

"Yeah, he invited me for dinner when Ron and I were at his party two days ago. I don't know what happened, I think I got drunk and I was flirting with him and I said I'd have dinner with him." She said all of it in one breath.

"But Hermione, you're going out with Ron."

"I know, but that was before we were going out. And I was drunk, Ginny! You know how people are when they're drunk. And I couldn't cancel either because I don't even have his phone number!"

"So, what happened last night?"

Hermione bit her lip, "Well, we had dinner together, then he spoke French to me-"

"Spoke French to you?"

Hermione sighed, "Long story. So then he asked me if I wanted to stay there for the night and he seemed nice so I said yes. Then he talked about Ron and then I just slept there."

"Wait, what about Ron did he tell you?"

She flung her hair over her shoulder, "Well, he told me how Ron used to be in high school. I was really interested so I listened." She smiled, "He told me how he used to talk about comic books."

Ginny nodded, "Oh yeah, Ron always talked nonstop about things that he loved. He still keeps his glasses, I never see him use them though."

"Really? Where does he keep them?" Hermione asked, she really wanted to know.

"I don't know. I think he keeps them in one of his drawers." she said.

"I should probably go. Ron's going to wonder where I went." she got up from the chair next to Ginny's computer and left.

She quickly ran up the stairs, "Ron? Ron?"

He wasn't in his room. She called his name again, "Ron? Ron?" The bathroom was empty as well. She wanted to make sure she was alone. She went back in his room and went through his drawers. She found a stack of comic books. Those must have been ones he collected when he was in high school.

She found a camera. "Why does he have a camera?" she examined it. It had a strap on it.

She finally stumbled upon a little case he kept his glasses in. She smiled at them, they _were_ big like Draco told her. She heard someone coming up the stairs and quickly shoved it back in the drawer. She was terrified to think that he might catch her snooping through his things.

"Hermione?" Ron was coming up.

She panicked and shut the door. He eventually got upstairs and pounded on the door, "Hermione? What are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm, I'm changing Ron. For God's sake, give me some privacy!"

He let go of the door knob, "Sorry Hermione." He rubbed the back of his neck.

She sighed, "Thank you."

She closed the drawer and actually changed out of her dress and put on a white t-shirt and shorts. She felt more comfortable. When she opened the door, she didn't see Ron. "Ron?"

He ran up to her and hugged her from behind, she shrieked.

"Ron! Let go of me!" All she could do is laugh as he hugged her tighter.

He rested his head on her shoulder, "I'll never let go of you."

She turned her head and smiled at him sweetly. "Come on, we better get ready for work."

He let go of her, "Okay. I should go get my things."


	13. Shenanigans

Hermione half-smiled and went dowstairs to get Ginny. She knocked on the already open door.

"Knock, knock! Who wants to see her favorite person in the world?"

Ginny sprang up, "You guys are going right now?"

She nodded, "Yup. So go get ready, because Ron's going to be out any minute."

"Okay." Ginny ran to her closet and searched for something to wear.

Hermione waited outside and waited for her. The twins spotted her.

"Hey Hermione." George said.

"Whatcha doin'?" Fred asked.

"I'm waiting for Ginny to get ready. We're going to Café Lumos."

George shifted, "Oh, you guys are going with Ron?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I work there with him."

"So why is Ginny going with you guys?" Fred asked.

"Harry." Hermione simply told them.

"Oh!" They said in unison.

She smiled, "Yeah."

Fred nudged George, "She's fancied him since third grade!"

Hermione gasped, "Third grade? That long?"

George nodded, "Yeah, she's always talking about how 'dreamy' he is."

Fred laughed and imitated Ginny, "Guys! Guys! Harry talked to me today!"

Hermione laughed at his feminine voice, "Hey, don't make fun of your sister! She has a crush. I think it's cute!"

"Oh really? Like how you like our little brother?" Fred said.

"Look who's talking! You tried to hit on me once I got here!" She retaliated.

George snickered but he immediately stopped when Fred gave him a look. "Sorry."

At that moment, Ginny appeared next to Hermione, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much." Hermione crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

Ron came from upstairs, "Okay guys, let's go."

Ginny fixed her shirt and followed Hermione out with Ron. "Do I look alright?" She asked Hermione.

"Are you kidding? You look great!"

After they had gotten into the car, Hermione had an idea.

"Wait, Ginny. I have something in here I could use on you." She opened up her purse and took out a barrette and clipped it in Ginny's hair. "Perfect!"

Hermione then took out a mirror and gave it to Ginny. She smiled when Ginny looked satisfied. "Ooh, that looks really cute."

"So, do you need my help again?" Hermione asked her.

Ginny shook her head, "No, I think I'm good. I feel like I can talk to him now."

Hermione was glad to hear that. She was proud of her friend for conquering her fears. She sighed, she hasn't gotten to talk to her coworkers in a while. She spent the last few days coping with her own problems.

"Okay guys! Double time! Let's go!" Harry clapped his hands as he ordered everyone to work.

"Hey, have you heard? Harry went on a date last night." Seamus said to Neville. "Dean told me since he works the nightshift."

"Oh yeah." Luna jumped in. "I heard from Cho and Cedric too."

"Sounds like everyone knows now." Neville said.

Dean, Cho and Cedric worked at the café after them along with Angelina and Lavender. So all of them were around when Harry was on his date.

Hermione walked in the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Hermione." Neville and Seamus said in unison.

"Hi, Hermione. You look really happy." Luna said in her dreamy voice.

"I know. Everything is so perfect in my life right now. It almost seems surreal."

Luna was mixing cake batter in a bowl. "Really? Why is that?"

Hermione tried to hide a smile. "Well, Ron and I are dating now."

"Wow! Hermione that's great! I've always wondered why Ron is always smiling at you." She poured the batter into a cake pan.

Hermione brushed her hair back, "What are you talking about?"

Luna looked at her like she should've known, "You mean you never noticed? He spends half the time staring at you just taking the customer's orders. Seamus even had to wave his hand in his face one time to snap him out of it."

"Wow, I never knew that." She looked behind her to see Ron talking to Seamus. She quickly turned back around.

Luna took the cake pan and place it in the oven, "Yeah, you might get him fired for slacking on the job."

Hermione scoffed, "Please, I'm sure his best friend wouldn't fire him for gawking at me."

She saw Ron leave, she wasn't sure if he saw her or not. "Do you mind if I help?"

"Oh no, it's fine. I could use a little help now and then. Everyone always wants dessert."

Hermione laughed, "Who doesn't love dessert?"

Luna took one of the orders, "Okay, so we have to make a dozen chocolate chip cookies."

She gasped in excitement, "Oh, where do you guys keep the cookie dough?"

"It's just in the fridge. I'll lay a cookie sheet on top of the pan here."

Hermione opened the big fridge next to Neville and took out the tub of cookie dough. "Hey Neville, how are you?"

"Oh, uh, hey Hermione. I'm fine." He said nervously.

She smiled, she knew he was shy so she decided to leave him alone. "That's good. I'll see you later."

"Bye." He continued cutting up the vegetables.

When Hermione came back, Luna had the cookie sheet ready. "Okay, now roll the dough into balls and place them on the sheet. It's easy."

She took a generous amount and rolled it between her hands. "Now we only have to make twelve so I'll make six and you make six, okay?"

She nodded, "Alright."

"Come on, Neville! I need vegetables for the chicken!" Seamus said from across the room.

"Hold on, I'm almost done!" Neville responded.

Hermione sang to herself as she rolled the cookie dough. Luna took notice and smiled at her. "Hermione, you have a really lovely voice."

Hermione hadn't realized that she was singing in front of her, "Really? Thanks Luna."

"Have you thought about singing?" She placed another ball of cookie dough on the pan.

"Well," she laughed, "I don't know. I never really thought about singing, it's just something I've always loved to do."

"You should come to karaoke night. We're having it tomorrow night." Luna suggested.

Hermione declined, "Oh no, I can't sing in front of people." She finished placing the cookie dough on the sheet.

Luna picked up the pan, "You should. Your voice is like a unicorn. It's magical and unreal."

Hermione giggled, "That's an interesting way to put it. I'll think about it."

Luna took out the cake and placed the cookies inside instead. "Well, that about does it!"

"Cool, I'm going to go wait tables now." Hermione grabbed her apron and tied it behind her. She saw Harry talking to Ginny in the corner. She was laughing at something that Harry said.

Hermione thought they looked cute together. They definitely clicked together. She was a bit jealous of them since they knew each other longer. She tried not to let it bother her but she couldn't help it. It didn't help that she spotted someone familiar, Draco.

"Oh my God, what is he doing here?" She was a bit terrified of him but she still tried to give him a chance. She thought that he could be cool to have as a friend.

When she tried to hide herself, Draco spotted her, "Hey, Hermione!"

She looked around, she was relieved that Ron wasn't around to see her talking to him. "Hey Draco, funny seeing you here."

"Hey, you look amazing as always." He had his hands clasped.

She gave a weak smile, "Thank you. Can I take your order?"

"Can I have a coffee? Black is fine."

She didn't bother writing it down since he only wanted a coffee. He was smiling at her.

"Okay, well I'll go get that for you." She walked all the way over to the coffee machines. She jumped when Ron appeared next to her.

She had her hand to her heart, it was beating fast, "God Ron, you scared me."

"Sorry." He kissed her on the cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said immediately after he stopped talking. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem stressed."

She started the machine and the coffee began to brew. "Well, I am a little. A lot of stuff is going on."

"I'll check on you later, okay?" He gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

"Okay, kiss your girlfriend on your own time." Seamus said passing them with a plate of food in his hand.

Hermione smiled to herself, she poured the steaming hot coffee in a mug and went back to Malfoy's table.

"Here you go." She gently placed his coffee on the table.

He took the coffee and held it in his hands, "Thank you. Hey, thanks for spending the night. I had a great time with you."

She turned around to check if people were around to misinterpret what he just said to her.

"I never thanked you for dinner." She felt bad that she forgot.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just happy you had dinner with me." He gave a charming smile.

"Your welcome. Why don't you sit with me? We can talk for a while." He gestured to the seat across from him.

"Look Draco, I'd like to but if my boyfriend sees us, he'll get mad at me." She warned.

He looked a little disappointed, "Oh, that's alright. Maybe we can hang out again tonight? Maybe watch a movie with me?"

She shrugged, "Sure, that sounds fun."

"Cool. I'll see you tonight." She had no idea what just happened. Did she agree to go on a date with him? Again?

When she went back in the kitchen, Luna waved at her, "Hermione, Ron told me to give you this note." She pulled out a folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to her.

She read the note aloud:

 _Hermione, meet me at Amortentia Park, I have a surprise for you there. I hope you'll love it. Meet me there in half an hour._

 _Love, Ron_

"When did he give this to you?" She asked holding up the note.

"A few minutes ago. He was in a rush too." She explained

"I wonder what the surprise is. I'm excited to see what it is." Hermione's heart was filled with joy. She really needed something special to help her relax.

"Wait, where is Amortentia Park?" Hermione asked.

"It's just over there. You can't miss it." Luna said gesturing her hand.

Suddenly, a fire broke out from the stove. Seamus backed away, "Somebody! Get the fire extinguisher! Quick!"

"I've got it!" Luna said. She ran off to the back to get it.

Neville panicked and tried to put out the fire by waving his hands.

"Stop that Neville! That isn't gonna help! Luna, hurry up!" The fire slowly grew bigger. Neville was the most frightened. He went as far away from the fire as possible.

"Okay guys, stand back!" Luna warned them before pulling the pin and aimed at the base of the fire.

"Put it out! Put it out!" Neville yelled.

Luna eventually put the fire out successfully. "What did you do, Seamus?"

"I don't know! I was just making lasagna and it just bursted into flames!" He said.

"That's the third fire we had this month!" Neville said.

"Three times?" Hermione said in shock.

"I don't know how it happens!" Seamus said in frustration.

Hermione decided to leave the kitchen. When she came out, she didn't see Draco anywhere. He was gone. Amortentia Park was just closeby to the café. She read the note again. She smiled and bit her lip, she really wanted to know the surprise. She took off her apron and headed outside. She walked as fast as she can. She wanted to be early. What could Ron possibly have in store for her?


	14. Lovers

When she reached the park, she stopped and stared. It was beautiful. There was a little lake in the middle of the park. Ducks were swimming around in it. She searched for Ron. She guessed that maybe he was near the lake so she looked over there.

She stopped to look at the ducks. She had nothing to feed them so she just kneeled down and dipped her hand in the water. It was shivering cold.

A little girl walked up next to her and threw pieces of bread into the lake. She looked at Hermione, "Hello."

She smiled at the little girl. She had red hair, she looked like she could be Ron's little sister. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Lily." said the little girl.

Hermione shook her hand, "Hi Lily, I'm Hermione."

"You're pretty." Lily said.

Hermione was surprised that a little girl complimented her. "Oh, thank you. And you're beautiful."

"Thanks!" She said swinging her dress. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering. A lot of pretty girls have boyfriends." Lily threw more food to the ducks.

Hermione kneeled down next to the girl, "Girls don't have boyfriends because they're pretty Lily. They have boyfriends because they both love each other and they support each other."

Lily smiled, "Really? I'm sad because I never had a boyfriend."

Hermione laughed, "You're too young to have a boyfriend, sweetie. Eventually, you'll meet him. It could in the most unexpected way. But for now, just live your life. There's so many things you can do with your life."

Lily hugged Hermione, "Thank you, Hermione."

Hermione patted her on the back. "Your welcome."

"Lily?" A woman said. Hermione saw a blonde woman in her late twenties. "Come on honey, daddy's looking for you."

"Bye, Hermione." Lily ran to the woman and held her hand.

Hermione waved at the girl. She felt happy that she met a stranger and bonded with them. She almost forgot about Ron. She didn't see him anywhere so she dialed his number. She anxiously waited for him to answer as she heard the dial tone.

"Hello?"

"Ron, where are you? I don't see you." She took a double take.

"Look behind you."

Hermione slowly turned her head, she saw Ron waving both his arms in the air. She laughed and got up, "You are unbelievable, you know that?"

She noticed the checkered blanket and all the food laid out. "Oh my gosh. A picnic?"

"Well, I, yeah." He smiled at her.

She looked at all the food, there was a bowl of strawberries, a few hot dogs and cookies. She was at a loss for words, "Ron, I don't know what to say."

He chuckled, "Just eat with me."

She sat down across from him, "It's so nice out here."

"Yeah, it's not too hot out." He opened the picnic basket and took out two sandwiches.

She gasped, "You got sandwiches too?"

He nodded, "Yup, I hope you like ham and cheese."

"It's my favorite." She took the sandwich and unwrapped it.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her.

She smiled at him, "Yeah. I do. Thank you for being so sweet."

He took a bite of his sandwich, "No problem. This is also perfect for our first date."

Hermione stayed quiet and ripped a piece of her sandwich. She could hear the other people in the park. There was a little birthday party going on.

He took a strawberry from the bowl and held it in front of her, "Hey, you want a strawberry?"

She giggled, "Sure." He brought his hand up to her mouth. She leaned in and took a bite of the strawberry.

He pulled his arm back, "You like it?"

"Yeah, I do." She wiped her mouth with her hand.

Ron looked down beside him, "Oh look." He picked a flower from the grass.

She marveled at the flower. It had blue petals, they were almost the color of Ron's eyes, "It's beautiful."

He stuck the flower at the side of her hair, "There. Now it's even more beautiful."

She smiled and looked down at her hands, "You know, Seamus set the stove on fire."

"Are you serious? Damn it, I should've been there!"

She laughed, "Luna had to put out the fire."

"I wonder what Harry will say about that." He took a bite of one of the cookies.

"Yeah." She looked at the other people in the park. Her hair blew away from her face. She looked down at the grass. She looked up at Ron, he didn't say anything but he smiled at her. She blushed when she realized he was staring.

"It's starting to get dark. We should get going." She stood up and gathered all the food.

"Yeah, we better go before my brothers freak out."

She put all the food in the basket while Ron folded the blanket and threw it over his shoulder.

"Here you go." She gave him the basket and walked home with him.

* * *

Hermione decided to dress casual. She didn't want Ron to think she was going on a date, which she wasn't. She saw Draco as a friend and she wanted to get to know him. She already told him he that she was dating Ron so he knew he had to back off. She tied her hair in a ponytail and looked in the mirror.

Ron came in the room. "Hey. We're thinking of going out to get ice cream. You want to join us?"

She frowned, "I'm sorry Ron. I can't."

"Why not?" He asked.

"You remember my friend? The one whose sister got married?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well the sister invited me to her house." She anxiously waited for Ron's response.

He dug his hands in his pockets, "Oh. Alright then."

"I'm really sorry Ron." She said sadly.

"No, it's cool." He then left the room, leaving her alone.

She put her hand to her face. "What am I doing?" She instantly felt guilt. She rejected her boyfriend to hang out with another guy. It wasn't like she was cheating. She picked herself up and shook it off, "Alright, Malfoy. Here I come."

Draco was shuffling through his DVD collection. "Which movie should we watch? She probably doesn't like romance movies. What about comedy?"

He sighed, "He was sure that she didn't want to see some cheesy movie."

She showed up at the front, "Hello."

"Hey." He closed the case, "How are you?"

They hugged each other, "I'm fine." She took a seat on the couch. "Look Draco. I was thinking that we should forget the movie and just, y'know."

"What?" He asked curiously.

"You know. Just talk for a while." She shifted in her seat.

"Okay. What did you want to talk about?" He sat down next to her.

"Just anything about you." She was curious to know more about his life.

"Well, I grew up here in London. I've always loved it here. The people, the places, just everything about it."

She nodded to let him know she was listening.

"I was really close to my dad. We did almost everything together. He always took me to Hyde Park every werk. He was actually the one who taught me to play basketball."

"Really?" She asked, interrupting him.

He nodded, "Yeah. But the thing was, him and my mother never really got along. I hated listening to them argue in the middle of the night. I've always wondered if I was the problem." He pointed to himself. "Then, eventually, they got into a really big fight. That's when he decided to leave us. I was seven."

Hermione didn't know what to feel after he told her that. She just looked at him and didn't say anything.

"My parents own a big chain of hotels, so it wasn't a problem for my mother and I to move into a better home, now that father left us." He stopped and stared at her.

She saw the hurt in his eyes, "So that's when you stopped talking to your father?"

"Yeah. I remember the first poem I wrote was about him. I had just turned eight. I never saw him after he left. I started to have this hatred towards him. I hated him for leaving us. I hated him for disrespecting my mother. I just hated him."

Hermione was surprised to see that he didn't cry. It really showed that he felt no emotion for his father. She twirled her hair around her finger.

"But I loved to play basketball. I always played when I was upset about something or when I had nothing to do. So I practiced playing basketball and eventually, I was team captain in high school. My friends were on the team with me. They felt more like family to me than my father. Of course, I met Ron."

Hermione had a huge smile on her face, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, he was shy though. He never really talked to me. It's funny because he talked to other people more."

She sat up, "Like, he got along better with other students?"

"Yeah. He was a geek. He loved everything sci fi. I always overheard him and his friends at lunch talking about everything they loved."

"I wish I'd have met him in high school." She wondered how things would have been if she went to the same school as Ron.

"Oh, he'd probably be shy to talk to you. Your beauty would intimidate him."

She giggled, "Yeah, I would imagine," she paused, "I'd probably be interested in him though."

"You look like you could've been a cheerleader at our school."

"No." She simply answered. "Cheering really isn't what I want to do."

He raised his brow, "What do you want to do then?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I really don't know where I want to go in my life. I've pretty much gone nowhere in my life."

"Well, you're here aren't you?"

"I guess so." She wondered what his point was.

"I mean you're still young. You said you're 21, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah." She gasped. "My birthday is tomorrow, actually." She was surprised that she forgot her birthday was coming up.

"Oh, that's great!" He said happily.

"Yeah. I spent my 21st birthday alone. I just bought myself a cake." She sighed, "I always wished that I could go somewhere nice for my birthday." She turned her head to him, "I want to go to Prague."

He nodded, "Oh, it's nice there."

"Wait, you've been there?" She asked, a look of shock on her face.

"Well, no. But my grandparents met there." He rested his back, "Yeah, they married each other a few years later. My grandmother was only seventeen."

"That's such a coincidence." She said. She wondered if Draco was some kind of wizard or something.

"Yeah. I'm sorry you had to spend your birthday alone." He patted her back.

"It's alright. It wasn't a big deal." She stood up. "You know. I should really get going. My boyfriend is going to worry about me. I kind of made him upset because he didn't know I was going out."

"I'll drive you home. I wouldn't want you to walk home again." He grabbed his keys.

"Yeah, I really don't want to walk in the cold. Thanks Draco."

It was 9:23 when Draco dropped her off. She decided that she'd stop hanging out with Draco for a while. She rubbed her eyes, she was really tired.

When she closed the door behind her, she heard a woman scream. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?" The woman was plump and had curly red hair.

"Ma'am, it's okay, I-"

Ron heard his mother and ran downstairs, "Mom! It's alright. She's my girlfriend." He stood beside Hermione.

His mother looked at him like he was crazy, "Her? Look at how much skin she's showing!"

"She's staying with me for a while. And I'm not letting you kick her out." Ron said boldly.

"Alright. As long as she doesn't eat our food." She said pointing her finger at her youngest son.

"Okay, Mom. Come on, Hermione." He grabbed her hand and led her up to his room.

"Sorry about that, Hermione. Mom and Dad came back from their buisness trip early." He explained.

Hermione sighed, "Ron, what if she finds out that I'm, you know. She might not let you date me anymore."

"Don't worry, you don't have to tell her anyway."

"But what if she finds out? You're the only person that knows." She told him.

He shook his head, "She won't find out, don't worry about it Hermione."

She crossed her arms. "Ron? Can I ask you something?"

He looked out the window, "What?"

"Why don't you like Draco?" She felt strange asking it.

He faced her, "Are you really going to ask me that question?"

She was scared by the way he said that. "I'm just wondering. He seems like a nice guy."

"Hermione. Don't talk to him. He's nothing but trouble." He said seriously.

"That wasn't my question." She stated.

"Why do you care so much about him?"

"I don't. I just want-"

"Hermione, I don't want to talk about this anymore." He took his spot on the floor.

"Are you mad at me?" She said in a sweet tone.

"No, I'm not mad. I just don't want to talk about Draco." He made himself comfortable and tried to sleep.

She sighed, she didn't know why he could hate him so much. Maybe it was because Ron was jealous. There was something Ron wasn't telling her.


	15. Deleted Scenes

**Hey guys! I apologize greatly for not updating the story, I have been so busy with things at home. So here are a bunch of deleted scenes I took out from the story for a lot of reasons. This first one is around the time when Ron and Hermione became a couple. I thought it was a little overly cutesy so I cut it from the story.**

Ron saw her blush, "Did I mention that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen?"

She smiled, "No you did not." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, you are, and you're also a great kisser." He had his arms on the sides of her waist.

"Oh really? You can kiss me again to make sure." She teased.

He chuckled, "I will." He moved his hand under her chin.

"Kiss me." She leaned up and kissed him, she felt euphoric and didn't want the feeling to stop. She felt Ron moving his hands to her back.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Instead of breaking away from him, she slowly pulled away her lips. They were still embracing each other. She looked towards the doorway and saw Ginny, "No, you weren't. It's just that me and Ron were busy doing something." She continued kissing him, ignoring the fact that Ginny was watching.

Fred saw Ginny and looked where she was looking. "Oh, gross."

Ginny giggled, "About time, don't you think? Come on, we shoudn't bother them." Her brother followed her as they went downstairs.

Hermione looked happy. Probably the happiest she's been in a long time. Nothing could make today worse for her. She didn't care that Ginny walked in, she finally told Ron how she felt and he returned her feelings.

Ron smiled at her, "So, is it okay to call you my girlfriend?"

"As long as you're my boyfriend." She stated.

"Deal." He kissed her cheek. "I won't disappoint you. I promise."

"I know you won't. You dork." She giggled. She felt strange calling him a dork.

* * *

 **So here's a scene when Hermione visits Draco for the first time. I had it where Draco insults Ron and Hermione didn't like it. I just thought it would be a funny scene to do but I felt it was unnecessary and was completely wrong to do.**

He smiled at her out of nowhere, "Are you two going out?"

"Oh no, we're not."

This made her mad, "Excuse me?"

"I mean come on, Weasley? You're too good for him!" He was still laughing.

"What do you mean I'm too good for him?"

"I mean, back in high school, he was the nerdy kid. He had these glasses that were too big for his face and he had braces on his teeth. He always talked funny."

Hermione took a minute to process what he said. "Okay, so how does that make me too good for him? I'd like to know."

"Well, you were probably prom queen at your school. Were you?"

"Actually I wasn't." She said with disdain. She didn't like what she was saying about her and Ron.

"Well still, you're really hot and-" He stopped himself from saying more.

Hermione noticed this and moved a little closer to him, "And what?" She smiled when she saw him getting nervous.

He stumbled on his words, "Um, you just have a really nice body."

"Do you want to feel it?" She took his hands and slowly placed them on her waist.

His body felt warmer, he couldn't believe what she was doing. "Y-yeah."

She giggled seductively and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Someone's being really naughty."

He looked at her, "Oh my God." He was totally entranced by her.

"Just touch me. I'll do anything you want me too." She said slowly. She brought her lips to his and kissed him deeply. She felt his hands up to her back.

He kissed back and made her moan. "I want to rip off your dress so bad."

She kissed him again and pulled away, "We can take this in my room if you want."

She backed away from him and ran into the room, giggling as he followed her inside. He saw her on the bed, teasing him by unzipping her dress.

He walked up to her and kissed her roughly, he was on top of her. She was trapped by his arms. He unzipped her dress and slipped it off of her. She was now in her lingerie.

"Jesus, you're so perfect." She felt his hands over her skin, it felt satisfying but she knew what she was doing. He kissed her neck and all the way down to her breasts. She moaned in pleasure and threw her head back.

"Draco." she moaned.

When he reached her breasts, he felt them with his hands. "Fuck, these are perfect. How big are they?"

"They're c-cups." She replied.

"Damn." He continued kissing her.

She saw her purse, she figured she could reach for it.

"Draco, I want you to do something for me." She said as sweetly as possible.

"What is it?" He asked, smirking at her.

"I need you to close your eyes, because I have a surprise for you."

"Okay." He closed his eyes. Hermione sat him down on the bed.

She smiled in delight, "Okay, keep them closed." She crawled on the bed and reached for her purse. She grabbed her dress as well and zipped it on.

She leaned in next to his ear. "Never call Ron a nerd again. Okay?"

"What?" Before he opened his eyes, Hermione swung her purse as hard as she could at his face.

"Ow!" He felt his face. She stormed out the room and swung her purse over her arm. Draco ran after her but stopped at the doorway. "Wait, wait!"

She groaned and turned around, "What?"

"Were you faking it this whole time?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I was. Like I'd sleep with someone who disrespects my friend."

"I-I can't believe-"

She rolled her eyes and left without turning back. She felt a vibration in her purse. It was Ron! Thank God.

She happily answered, "Hello?"

"Hermione? Where are you?" He sounded like he was panicking.

She looked around, "Ron, I got lost on my way back, I'm near Green Avenue. Can you pick me up? It's pretty dark out here." She grew more anxious.

"Okay, I'm gonna get in my car right now and pick you up." He hung up the phone shortly after.

She walked all the way to the end of the street and took a seat on the sidewalk. She took off her heels to let her feet rest.

"I'm getting sick of wearing this damn dress." She muttered.

* * *

 **This is the scene when Hermione, Ginny, and Ron visit Harry's house on the day the café had karaoke night. Again, I just felt like it was unnecessary and I just didn't feel like I should have neeb writing it. I originally didn't have Ginny come with them so I added her but it didn't make the scene any better to me.**

Harry was setting up the little stage at the corner of the café. There were huge speakers, stools, and a microphone.

Ron and Hermione didn't have to work that day, but they decided to visit Harry. They brung Ginny too.

Hermione saw Harry adjusting the microphone, "Hey, Harry." she said behind him.

He turned around, "Oh, Hermione. Hi."

She smiled, "I can't wait to sing here tonight."

"Oh, you're a singer?" He almost whispered it.

She nodded, "Yeah. I love to sing."

He gave a thumbs up, "Well, good luck tonight."

She giggled, "Thanks."

Ginny spoke up, "Hey Harry." She touched her hair.

He looked nervous, "Oh, hi Ginny."

She looked behind her when the door opened. It was Ron, "Sorry. I had to go back to get my phone."

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Harry asked.

"We just thought maybe you'd want to hang out with us for the day." Hermione said.

"Really? Doing what?" Harry asked.

"We can hang out at your house." Ron said.

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea. We can go right now." Ron had his car keys in his hands.

"Come on." Harry said going out the door. Ginny followed.

Ron looked at Hermione, who seemed put off. "Don't worry. I've been to Harry's before. I know the way."

He put his arm around her and led her to the car. She went in the back, since Harry was in the passenger seat. She didn't mind, though. She sat beside Ginny.

Ron went inside and looked back at her, "You okay back there?"

She nodded. Harry looked back at her too and smiled.

"Alright." He turned his keys in the ignition.

"So, Ron, are you coming tonight too?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded, "Yeah. I'm playing my guitar."

"Oh yeah. Remember you played at the talent show in sophmore year?" Harry said with a smile on his face.

Ron chuckled, "Yeah. I was pretty nervous that night."

"You were great though, I remember Fred and George were there too. They were cheering for you."

Hermione smiled, "That's very sweet of them."

"Yeah, they were kind of loud. Which was embarassing." Ron turned left onto a different street.

"You guys went to the same school together?" She felt kind of stupid asking.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. Ron and I have known each other for a long time."

"Since first grade." Ron pointed out.

Harry widened his eyes, "For that long? I thought it was third grade that we met."

He shook his head, "No, that's when you met Ginny. And you didn't know she was my sister."

Ginny couldn't help but smile. She tried to hide her face.

"Oh yeah. I remember that." He looked embarassed. He definitely liked Ginny.

They pulled up in the driveway. Harry unbuckled his seat belt and stepped outside. Ginny opened her door and went out too. Ron helped Hermione out, "Okay, come on. I'll take you inside."

Hermione gasped once she saw his house. It was little but it was beautiful. The sun made the grass in the front green and shiny.

Harry went in first, "You guys want some soda?"

"Yeah, get me some Sprite." Ron closed the door.

Ginny perked up, "Oh, and a Coke."

"What about you, Hermione?" Harry asked from the kitchen.

She gestured her hands, "Uh, no thank you. I don't really drink soda."

Harry threw Ron a can of soda. "Thanks, mate."

He handed Ginny the soda. She smiled, "Thanks. Where's the bathroom around here?"

He pointed to the left of the house, "Oh, it's the second door to your right over there."

"Thanks." Ginny put her soda down on the table and went into the other room.

"How's it been going with your family?" Harry asked Ron, popping open his soda.

Ron shrugged, "It's alright. My parents are back from Europe."

Harry nodded, the looked at Hermione, "So, how did you guys meet?"

Hermione looked at Ron and laughed a little, "It's kind of a weird story. I don't know if it's really something to talk about."

"Come on, you can tell." Harry urged her.

She bit her lip, "Is it okay if I tell him?" She asked Ron. He nodded.

"Okay," she sighed. "I was working at my old job one night. And, this man, he wouldn't leave me alone. He harassed me, eventually he threatened me. With a gun."

Harry's eyes widened, "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but then out of nowhere, Ron knocks him out. He asked me if I was alright and I said I was. So we talked, and we started hanging out. And now we're together."

Ron wrapped his arm across her waist. "She's awesome."

Harry nodded, "You guys are adorable together."

* * *

 **Now this scene is an argument between Ron and Hermione I just felt this scene shouldn't have happened so I cut it out completely.**

She exhaled deeply, "You know how I've told you that I went to a friends' wedding?"

He nodded, "Yeah?"

"I was actually at Draco's place." She confessed. She felt a rush in her body. She felt nauseus.

He didn't say anything. He looked at her.

"And the night after that too." She said weakly.

He stood up, "WHAT?!"

Hermione stood up too amd grabbed his arm, "Ron, please don't be mad."

He took his arm away from her, "But I am mad! Hermione, why would you do that to me?"

"Ron, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just didn't want you to be upset!" She pleaded.

"Well, how is that woking out? I'm pissed off!" He shouted.

She felt nervous as she saw his rage, "Ron, I know what I did was wrong but I-"

"You're damn right what you did was wrong! I can't believe you would do this to me, Hermione!" He paused for a moment, "Wait a minute. Actually, I do believe it, because I always knew a girl like you would hate to go out with me!"

"What are you talking about Ron?"

He shook his head, "Oh come on. I'm nerdy, I'm clumsy, I'm a loser. Who would ever go out with Ron Weasley? But we all love Draco because he's handsome and popular!"

She walked closer to him, "Ron? What are you-"

"Hermione, why don't you just leave me the hell alone? Okay? You lied to me, you played me-"

"But Ron, I like you. I want to be with you." She was on the brink of crying.

He scoffed, "Why don't you just fuck every stranger that meets you? It's what you're best at."

He immediately realized what he just head. He sounded cold and harsh. It felt like he just made a deep cut.

Hermione stood there, shedding a tear. She looked at him, her eyes looked full of anger. She stepped closer to him and slapped him right across the face. She turned around and walked out of the room, shutting the door.

"Oh, no." He muttered to himself. "What happened to me?"

She ran outside and collapsed and cried on the stairs. She thought about everything that's happened in her life and regretted everything. She wondered if this was her punishment for being a stripper. Ron was one of the good things that happened in her life and now she lost him.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione wiped her eyes and looked up at Fred, he was with his brother George.

She felt embarassed that they saw her crying, "No. I'm not."

George sat by her right and comforted her. Fred kneeled down in front of her. "What happened?"

She talked while fighting the tears, "I made a mistake. I lied to Ron. I've lied to him that I was going somewhere when I really just wanted to hang out with another guy. It wasn't like I was cheating. I told Ron and then he got mad and started yelling, so we argued, and now I'm crying right now."

She closed her eyes and the tears fell. George comforted her more.

Fred grunted, "Ron can be a diva."

This made Hermione smile.

George nodded, "Yeah. Makes us wonder if we have two sisters."

She giggled, she loved how they could make her laugh while she was crying.

"You two should talk. He does get angry sometimes but he eventually calms down. After he calms down, tall to him, okay?" Fred wiped a tear off her face.

She smiled and nodded, "Okay."

He smiled cheekily, "Good. We don't like to see a beautiful girl cry."

She smiled and stood up from the steps. "Thanks guys. I appreciate it."

"No problem." They both said.

"I'll see you guys later!" She waved goodbye to the twins and went inside. She went back up to Ron's room but he wasn't there. She sat down on the bed and looked around his room.

Ron was now standing in the doorway. Hermione felt her stomach tighten, she was afraid of what he might say.

"Hermione, look, I'm sorry I said that."

She faced away from him, still hurt from what he said to her.

"Hermione. I-I didn't really mean that." He sat next to her. She still didn't speak.

He sighed, "Hermione look. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just felt jealous."

She finally turned to face him, but she stayed silent.

"The reason why I didn't want you to talk to him was because I was jealous of him. I thought that you would like him better than me. I mean, he was already popular, he was the guy that every girl wanted." He said.

"Is that what you feel, Ron?" She asked him quietly.

"Do you remember thar night when I called you to check up on you?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"I had a dream that night. It was about you." He bit his lip, "You and Draco were kissing. On my bed, and I caught you guys. I asked you what was going on. And then you looked at me, and you told me.."

She looked at him, "What did I say?"

"You told me you really didn't love me. And you just kissed him more." His voice was shaky. "He's the reason why I hated high school. I changed myself after high school and I never wanted to see him again."

She looked down at her hands. She listened to Ron opening up to her.

"I freaked out when I saw him again after all these years. I didn't want him to take you away from me." He said wholeheartedly. "I was just jealous."

He laughed, "I used to wear these big glasses. I was a bit of a nerd."

She processed everything he told her. She smiled at him, "I think it's cute."

"What?" He turned to her.

"You. Just everything about you." She giggled. "You really think I'd leave you for Draco? Why do you think I want to go out with you?"

He smiled at her. "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes! Ron, I like you. And only you. I love how you're a bit clumsy. I love how dorky you can be. But most importantly, I love that you're my boyfriend."

She brushed his hair back, "I don't care if Draco was the cool kid in high school. That isn't going to change my mind about you."

She laughed, "You know, Draco told me what you were like in high school."

"Oh, man. Really?" He felt emarassed.

"Yeah, how you loved to talk about comic books and science fiction movies." She smiled. "Even back then, you were cute."

He scratched the back of his neck, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I bet you look handsome in glasses."

He shrugged, "I still have them. I just don't really wear them."


	16. Anticipation

**_Hey guys! I'm back! I will continue writing this story because I really didn't want to abandon it. I love you guys so much for reading it and enjoying it! Feel free to give me any new ideas! :) Hugs and kisses, xoxo._**

* * *

Hermione took a shower in the morning. She wanted to wake herself up since she was feeling really sleepy. She changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was damp and fell way past her shoulders.

Ron was tuning his guitar and playing several different chords. She came out the bathroom and saw him strumming his guitar.

"You're sounding good on that guitar." She jumped onto the bed next to him.

"Thanks. I'm having a hard time learning this new song though. It's really annoying." He continued to play the guitar.

She smiled, "Well, you sound amazing nonetheless. You know, today is my birthday."

Ron widened his eyes, "Really? Oh man, I should have gotten you something and-"

She laughed, "It's okay Ron. I forgot too. I guess it's because I never really celebrated my birthday."

He looked sadly at her, "Oh. But we should get you a cake. Do you like chocolate?"

She smiled, "I love chocolate fudge."

He grinned, "Well, we can go out later and buy you a cake. Since you're the birthday girl, you can pick."

"That sounds perfect. Thanks Ron." She rested her head on her shoulder.

He smiled at her and started playing a chord. She eventually started humming along. He slowly stopped playing and Hermione was still humming.

"Is that you, Hermione?" He asked.

"Oh." she grabbed a piece of hair and played with it. She hadn't realized that he was listening. "Sorry."

He waved his hands, "No, no, don't be sorry! You sounded beautiful."

She sighed, "My God, really?"

"Yeah! I didn't know you can sing." He put his guitar aside.

"I really just sing when nobody's around." She confessed. She never really was comfortable around people, especially when it came to singing.

"That's insane, you shouldn't hide a voice like that. You have a gift. You should share it with people."

She smiled, "I just have horrible stage fright. I had bad experiences with singing in front of people."

He brought her chin up to face him, "Hey, I gurantee you, nobody will laugh at you once you sing your heart out to them."

She blushed and looked down at her hands, "I've always secretly loved to sing my whole life. I've even written songs in third grade." She laughed, "Some of them are silly."

He tapped her shoulder, "You should sing at karaoke night tonight."

She lit up, "I know, Luna told me about that. She heard me singing as well."

"Hey, maybe you and I can duet together!" He pointed to her.

"Yeah, maybe we can. Is that why you're playing your guitar?" She wondered.

"Well, one of the reasons." He told her. "I just love playing."

"Hey Ron, I saw a camera in the drawer yesterday. What do you use it for?" She hoped that he wouldn't question her about why she was looking in the drawer.

"Oh, I used to love photography. I had that camera since I was a freshman." He got up and opened the drawer. He picked up the camera and examined it.

"No wonder it looks old." She said. "It's a really nice camera though."

He handed it to her. "I don't really use it anymore."

She bit her lip and thought. "Why don't you use it to take photos of your family? Or nature or something?"

"Hermione, that's what phones are for." He quipped.

She giggled, "Maybe you can take photos of me."

His cheeks reddened, "Wh-what do you mean?"

She smiled, "Like, maybe I could be your model and you can take fancy photos of me."

"That's not a bad idea." He scratched his head. "I kind of miss taking photos."

She smiled, "Yeah, you can take pictures of anything. You really have no limit."

"I'll start by shooting you." He then snapped a photo of her.

She crawled on the bed and kissed the camera playfully.

"Hey! You're ruining my camera!" He pulled up his sleeve and wiped the camera.

She laughed, "Don't be jealous of the camera."

"So you're saying you're cheating on me with my camera?" He chuckled. "Well, the camera does love you."

She blew a kiss to the camera. Ron caught it, making her giggle. "You're adorable." She said.

"You can take photos of your friends too." She mentioned. "Oh, you should bring it to karaoke night!"

"Yeah, maybe I should." He agreed.

"The café is a nice place for taking pictures." She said. "I'm gonna go talk to Ginny. I want to ask her how things with Harry are."

He shook his head, "You're so nosy, Hermione."

"I don't care!" She sang as she left the room.

He smiled, "She could kill with that voice." He said to himself.

Ginny smiled when she saw Hermione walk in. "Hey."

"Hello." Hermione said happily, "How were things with you and your boyfriend?"

Ginny blushed, "What boyfriend?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry."

She smiled, "Oh, it went really well. He asked me if I was going to karaoke night. I said yes."

"That's good. Because I'm going too!" Hermione said excitedly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm going to sing." She proudly said.

Ginny looked skeptical, "You sing? No way."

She nodded, "Yeah! I've been singing since I was a little girl pretty much. My mother would sing by the radio and I'd always join her."

"Let me hear." She looked at her quite seriously.

Hermione couldn't talk, "What? You want me to sing? Right now?"

"Yeah. I wanna hear you." Ginny smiled.

"Okay." Hermione coughed. She started to hum. "When you left I lost a part of me. It's still so hard to believe. Come back baby, please, 'cause we belong together."

She looked at Ginny, hoping she didn't mess up. Her face was frozen. "Was that good?"

"Good? That was incredible!" Ginny squealed.

"Really? I love singing that song." Hermione admitted.

Ginny giggled, "You're voice is so amazing! I can't wait to hear you up there!"

Someone knocked on the door, Hermione recognized the big haired lady from last night. "Ginny dear, breakfast is ready."

Ginny nodded, "Okay." She quickly got up and left the room.

The mother pointed at Hermione, "You come with me."

Hermione got up and followed her to the living room. She saw Ron on the side, looking irritated.

"Now Ron, explain this to us." She walked over to her husband and looked at their son with disdain.

Rom sighed, "Mom, look. She's my girlfriend, and she's staying with me."

"Ron, we know you better than to have someone like her as a girlfriend!" Molly said.

"You don't know her, Mom. She's more than that." Ron put his arm around Hermione.

"Why does she dress like that then? She looks like a stripper for God's sake!" His dad said.

Hermione held her breath for a second. She wondered why he would think a stripper would dress in a tank top, shorts, and heels. She worked with other strippers that showed more skin than she ever did.

Ron became angry, "Come on, Dad. Why do you have to criticize the way she dresses?"

"We just don't want you to be involved with the wrong people." His mother added.

"She's not like that Mom." He turned to Hermione. "Come on, Hermione. Let's go."

Hermione took his hand and left the house. She was surprised that his parents didn't say anything as they left.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Hermione. My parents can be, difficult."

Hermione sighed and looked in the distance, "It's okay, Ron. I can just go back to my house and-"

"No, Hermione. Don't say that, I care about you. You know, if I have to, I'll leave and come live with you." Ron explained.

Hermione looked at him and bit her lip. She said nothing. He could see that she really wanted to do what was best for both of them. He looked at her hands that were clasped in nervousness.

He took her hand and stared into her eyes, "Look, we all have dinner together every night when mum and dad are home. I'll invite you. They'll see you. The real you, not what they think you are, okay? We'll just sit around the table and talk about everything."

Hermione was still skeptical, "I don't know, Ron."

He brought his thumb to her chin, "Hey, look, after the café, I'll buy you a nice dress. You can pick which one you like. You're going to wear it when you meet my parents. They'll love you. I promise."

Hermione's face was still frozen, then she looked away.

Ron smirked, "Yeah? Is that a yes? I don't see a no."

Hermione giggled, "Alright. But Ron, you don't have to waste your money on me."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I don't mind working at the café at all. I get to hang out with my friends and maybe steal packets of sweeteners now and then.'

Hermione laughed, Ron eventually joining her. She fell silent with a smile on her face, "You know I love you, right?"

Ron felt a sudden jolt. Did he really hear what he just heard? It didn't bother him but that must have been the first time that she has ever said that to him. It sounded really genuine and sweet.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, "Yeah."

She blushed so hard that she could feel it. She felt butterflies in her stomach.

He leaned in closer to her until their lips touched. Hermione felt like she was disconnected from real life. She always remembered the stories as a kid about princesses finding their true love. She finally felt like she could say that she found the one she wanted to be with.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back, his hands lowered to her waist. He hugged her tight, not wanting to let her go.

Hermione pulled away and cleared her throat. Again, she was quiet but she smiled at him.

"Let's go to the bakery and buy your cake, birthday girl." He let go of her waist and held her hand.

"I already had my cake." She said smiling.

He leaned down and planted quick kiss on her lips. "That's cute. But seriously, we should go."

"Alright, come on, we better get going."

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Bonus! Here are the ages of the characters for anyone wondering! I love you guys! Next chapter willl be coming out in a few days!

From eldest to youngest:

Draco - 25  
Fred and George - 25  
Seamus - 24  
Dean - 24  
Neville - 23  
Ron - 23  
Harry - 23  
Cedric - 22  
Cho - 22  
Luna - 22  
Hermione - 21  
Ginny - 21


	17. Birthday Girl

**_Hey guys! I'm back! So excited to be writing this story again! Hope you have a great weekend!_**

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The sweet aroma of pastries and bread made Hermione crave for sugar. "Mm, this place is so nice."

An older woman wearing an apron came out of the back door, "Hello there, what can I get you two?"

Hermione looked at the cakes in display. There was a red velvet cake decorated with flowers and white icing. Her eyes stopped on the velvety chocolate cake with dark brown icing.

She pointed to the cake, "I want this one, please."

The lady smiled, "Okay sweetie, let me get that for you."

Ron had his arm around her, he planted a kiss on her cheek. The lady smiled at them but didn't say anything.

She had finished boxing the cake and rang up the total. "That'll be seventeen pounds, please."

Ron reached in his pocket to get his money and handed it to the lady.

"Thank you." She counted the money and opened the register to give him his change. Ron took the money and grabbed the cake.

Hermione was at a table near the window. She looked outside, she could see the park outside. The beautiful lake she saw when she had the picnic with Ron the other day.

A figure with a head of familiar red hair went near the lake and fed the ducks. It was the little girl that talked to Hermione the other day. She forgot her name.

Hermione jumped when Ron slammed the cake in front of her. She lost her breath for a second, "Ron, don't do that!"

Ron chuckled, "Sorry Hermione, I wasn't thinking."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. He was such a dork sometimes.

"So were you admiring the view?" He asked her, checking the cake.

She nodded, "Yeah, you know, we should really get to work before Harry gets mad at you."

Ron scoffed, "Why would he get mad at only me?"

"Since you're his best friend." Hermione joked.

"What? You don't think he considers you a friend too?"

Hermione smiled playfully, "I wouldn't know."

A lot of people were at the café. Even some friends of the workers were there. Everyone was chattering and drinking coffee.

When Hermione opened the door, she saw Harry talking to a blonde girl who was around his age. She raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"So, do you think you can help me out tonight? The girl asked him.

Harry laughed in a way that came off as flirtatious sounding, "Sure, anytime."

She giggled, "I can always count on you! You're the best."

Ron finally caught up and placed the cake down on the counter. He saw Hermione and looked in the direction she was facing, "What's wrong?"

"I think Harry was flirting with that girl over there." She told him.

"What? Hermione, I'm sure that's just a friend of his."

Hermione nodded but was still skeptical. "You're probably right. But I don't know if friends really act all giggly and flirty to each other."

Ron wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Well, we're friends, aren't we?"

She giggled, "Yeah, but it's different."

Ron laughed, "Oh yeah? How?"

"Well, because Harry is supposed to be with Ginny and he's flirting with another girl."

"He could've just been being nice to her." He reasoned.

She smiled and took his arms off her, "Maybe, but I'll have to see what's going on between those two."

Seamus walked by them when he overheard this. "What are you guys talking about?"

Hermione waved her hand, "Oh, it's nothing, Seamus."

He persisted, "No, who are you talking about?"

"Harry was talking to that blonde girl over there a while ago." Hermione pointed towards the table across from them.

"What's wrong about that?" He asked curiously.

Hermione folded her arms, "He seemed to be flirting with her. Laughing and such."

"Really?" He looked at her again, "She looks really cute."

Hermione raised her brow in a questioning way.

"Uh-I mean, um, she's not cute. At all." Seamus muttered.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh, "You guys, seriously, what if Ginny found out? You know she has the biggest crush on Harry."

Seamus shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it, Hermione. They had a date."

Hermione sighed, "I guess." She turned to Ron, "We should get to work."

Hermione waited a family of four that ordered so much food. Seamus and Neville were making the food while Hermione had to carry four plates at a time. Ron had been serving more tables than Hermione but fewer orders.

"Waitress?" A voice called.

Hermione walked over to the table. A man with black sunglasses was checking the menu.

"Yes, can I have the Big Breakfast Combo?"

Hermione jotted it down in her little notepad, "Okay, what else would you like to have?"

The man looked up at her and brung his sunglasses down, "How about you?"

Hermione scoffed, "Draco?"

He laughed, "No, I'm just joking. We never settled on what time we should hang out."

"Draco, I'm really busy right now b-"

"We can always talk after work, if you're not still busy." He smiled.

"Well, I actually have to be somewhere with Ron."

"Okay, well, tomorrow is fine. If thaf's okay with you." He assured.

She nodded, "Yeah, sure."

When she turned to walk away, Draco stopped her, "Happy Birthday, beautiful."

She had just remembered that she told him her birthday was today. She awkwardly turned back and said thank you.

"Seamus, Big Breakfast Combo on table five!" Hermione instructed.

She sighed as she brewed a new pot of coffee and tried not to look up to see Ron near her. He didn't want him to know she was hanging out with Draco at all.

She was just curious to know what happened with him and Ron to make them dislike each other. Draco seemed like a nice person but Ron was too. Either Draco lied about Ron or Ron was a different person back then.

She tried not to think much of it since it wasn't her buisness anyway, but still, she was curious. Neville rang the bell and called for Hermione, "Order up for table five Hermione!"

"Okay!" She quickly made her way to the front and grabbed the plate. She saw Draco again and gave him the food. She the sat across from him, he didn't expect her to do that.

"Does Ron know you're here?" She asked him.

He shook his head, "Ron doesn't usually wait tables here. Usually Luna or Neville does it." She wondered why that was so.

He smiled, "Are you going to karaoke night tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm going to sing. I'm nervous though."

"I'm sure you have a lovely voice." He complimented.

Hermione found herself blushing, "Thanks. But I'm really not the best."

He nodded, "You'll do great up there. You know, I used to sing when I was little, just for fun though."

"Really?" She asked curiously.

He just looked at her as if what she said was ridiculous.

She snapped out of her daze, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, you don't look like the kind of guy that would do that kind of stuff."

He sort of laughed, "A lot of people don't know that about me. I guess I really don't show it."

Hermione fumbled with her hands, "You know, I love to write music."

"Oh really? Maybe we can sing a duet together."

She blushed, "No, I'm really nervous about singing in front of people."

He shook his head, "You shouldn't be nervous. It's just singing. People won't go hard on you because of that."

Hermione nodded and looked back, "I should probably go. Ron is probably waiting for me."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as she walked away.

It wasn't long before Hermione ran into Neville, making him spill the cup of coffee he was holding.

He leaned down to pick up the mug, "Sorry Hermione, I can be really clumsy sometimes."

Hermione took the plates he was carrying and smiled, "Here, I'll take these. I'll make another cup of coffee. Go clean yourself up."

"Thank you, Hermione." He wiped down his clothes and went to the restroom.

Hermione happily handed the food to the couple on table seven. She explained to them that their coffee will be served momentarily. Luckily, they were nice about it. Hermione felt someone tapping her shoulder so she turned around.

He gave her a goofy smile, "Hey Hermione."

"Hi, Ron." She started walking as Ron followed alongside her.

"Did you want to sing a certain song tonight?" He asked her.

She sighed, "I don't really know. But I'd be okay with anything."

"Right, I just wanted to make sure which chords to play, you know."

"Oh, sorry. I just, don't really know which song to sing." She laughed.

Ron drifted off for a minute, then looked at her, "What about your songs?"

She looked up at him, "Really? I mean, I don't know which one to pick."

"I'l decide for you." He kissed her cheek.


	18. Celestial

The café was closing up and Hermione just finished cleaning the tables. Everything was organized and free of any mess.

She walked over to Ron and Harry, they were talking about what was going to happen tonight.

Harry turned to her "Thanks Hermione."

"No problem. So Harry, are you going to be performing?" She asked giggling.

He looked at her as if she was crazy, "No, I don't have the talent for it. But I hear you do."

She gave him a look, "What?"

"Ron was telling me that you love to sing." He explained.

"Oh really?" She placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, I don't think we've ever had an employee perform before." Harry fixed his glasses.

Hermione took off her apron, "That's weird. You mean to tell me nobody who has worked here, ever got up for karaoke night?"

He shook his head, "No."

Hermione felt anxious. It was almost eight o' clock. The time the event starts. A few people were already coming in.

"So you two are gonna sing together?" He asked them.

"Yeah, I'm gonna sing while Ron plays his guitar." She smiled at him. "Oh Ron, can you give me your car keys? I forgot to get something."

He reached in his pocket and handed them to her, "Here."

She took the keys and quickly bolted out the door. She pushed the button to unlock the car. Her music was in her bag. She took one at random and went back inside.

Once she saw Ron, she handed him back his keys. "We're gonna sing this." She showed him the paper with lyrics on it.

Ron skimmed through it, "This is really good Hermione! Did you really write that yourself?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it'll be embarassing to sing it."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." People were rapidly entering the café now. It was weird for Hermione to be at the café at night. Which was strange, considering she used to be a stripper.

"Guys, I better get up there." Harry hurried to the little stage and grabbed the microphone. "Hello everyone! How's everybody doing?"

Everyone in the café exploded with applause. "Great! To start off the night, we'll have Lucy Hernandez singing Real Love."

Everybody cheered as a blonde girl got up on the stage. Hermione remembered the girl from earlier. It was the girl he was apparently flirting with.

"Hi Hermione, it's nice to see you here." Hermione recognized the dreamy voice beside her. It was Luna, her hair tied up in a bun, carrying a plate of cookies.

She smiled at the blonde, "Hey Luna, how are you?"

"Well. It's so packed here, I'll have to make lots of desert." She said. Luna made her war around the tables.

Ron was across from Hermione, "Do you wanna go after her?"

Hermione smiled, "No. Not yet." She looked down at her lyrics and muttered to herself, "I really love this song."

The place was decorated with festive lights and a big poster that said, "Karaoke Night: Tonight at 8pm". There were beautiful candles on each table and everyone was having a good time

Lucy finished singing, the crowd went crazy. "Thank you all very much!" She said. Hermione heard some men whistling at her.

Harry ran back up on stage and hugged her. Harry looked like he was saying something to her that made her laugh. Hermione decided that that was enough. She wanted to stop assuming and find out for herself.

"Alright! We're gonna take a short break before our next guest comes uo so stick around!" Harry said into the micrphone. He then went to the back with Lucy, Hermione followed him.

"Hey, you were incredible out there." He told her.

Lucy smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Really? I was so nervous. I'm still shaking."

He laughed, "Come on, you were amazing!"

Hermione peered in the corner and eavesdropped on their conversation. She was surprised Luna, Neville, Seamus, or Ron was back here. Was this like a secret hideout or something?

"Oh, Lucy. I got it." Harry said. He dug in his pocket and took something out. It looked like a little blue box. He slowly took a necklace out. It had a little heart at the bottom.

Lucy gasped, "Oh my God. Harry, it's so gorgeous!" She took the piece of jewelry out of his hands.

"Do you really like it?" He asked, unsure.

"Yes! I love it! You're such a great guy, Harry."

Hermione knew that she had seen enough after Lucy kissed him on the cheek. She couldn't believe it. She felt angry, her boyfriend's best friend was cheating on her friend.

She started thinking out loud, "Okay, calm down Hermione. They're just friends, maybe it was just a little present. Friends can give presents, right? What if Harry didn't like Ginny? What if it wasn't cheating? I mean, it was one date."

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear a voice from across the room, "Hermione?"

"Oh my goodness, this is so not happening."

"Hermione?"

She finally looked up and saw Ron, "Oh, hey." She quickly kissed him on the lips. "What are you doing back here?"

"Um, working?" He laughed as what she said was out of the ordinary.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She bit her lip.

"Are you alright?" He asked, a little concerned.

"No." She opened her mouth, then found the courage to talk, "I think, Harry is going out with another girl."

Hermione grew nervous when he didn't respond. She had so many things in her own life that were not going as planned. She couldn't carry more of these problems.

"Really? Who?" He let go of her.

"Do you remember that blonde girl the other day? Who was talking to him?" She fiddled with her hands.

"Yeah?" He said slowly.

"I overheard them just now." She paused, she felt like she sounded really nosy for spying on them. "Harry gave her a necklace and they were talking. Then, I saw her kiss him."

Ron stood there and processed what he heard. "Kissed him? Like on the lips?"

She slightly laughed, "No, on the cheek. But that still doesn't prove anything." She didn't like to meddle but it was her friend's crush and she felt like she had to so something.

He smiled at her, "I just think the besf way to know for sure is to ask him."

She nodded and he brought her in for a hug. "Hey, let's go next. I feel like I'm ready."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to go if you don't want to." He offered.

"No. I want to do it." She smiled at him reassuringly. "I'll be back." She wanted to look for Harry and confront him. This had to finish, once and for all.

Neville was talking to Harry by the kitchen, "Okay, I'll try to make the spaghetti better."

Hermione pulled Harry away from him, "Harry, we have to talk."

Harry looked at her with a confused look, "What happened?

"Don't act like you don't know. You like Ginny, right?"

He smiled, "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"Then, who was that girl you were with? Lucy? How can you like Ginny but give another girl a necklace?" Hermione didn't want to sound snooty but she wanted answers.

He didn't say anything but perked up, "What do-oh. Hermione, you got it all wrong."

"No. Who gives a friend a necklace like that? Well maybe if you've been friends for a long time, but that's not the point!"

Harry laughed and put his hands on her shoulders, "Hermione, she's just a friend."

Hermione stopped but continued, "Yeah but, what about earlier today, when she was asking you for help? What was that about?"

"Oh, that. She was really nervous about singing tonight so she asked if I could help her calm down tonight. That's why I was next to the stage, so she wouldn't be scared being up there by herself."

Hermione partly wasn't surprised since she knew that she could have been wrong. "What about the necklace?"

He smiled, "It's present for Ginny, Hermione. I was going to give it to her for our second date."

Hermione looked absolutely dumbfounded. He took out the little box again and showed her the necklace. She hesitantly took the necklace and observed it. It was sterling silver with a heart on it.

"Ginny will love this. This is so beautiful." The necklace sparkled gorgeously in the light. She turned her focus on Harry, "I'm sorry for thinking you were cheating on her. She's just my close friend and she likes you a lot."

"It's okay, Hermione. I would have been the same if I ever found Ron talking to another girl." He chuckled.

"Oh hey, can Ron and I go perform next? I'll be singing an original." She explained.

"Alright, let's get back out there!" They ran back to the stage. Hermione notified Ron when she saw him.

Harry grabbed the microphone and made an announcement. "Up next, they're a duet. Singing their own song, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley!"

Hermione followed Ron on stage. She was shaking a big, looking at everyone. He took the guitar in the back and sat down on one of the stools. Hermione stood in front of the microphone, "Um, hello everyone. This is an original song called, Free of Your Love. Enjoy."

Ron played a chord and started strumming. Hermione started singing the first notes of the song perfectly and sang in tempo to Ron. She felt a sudden confidence and enjoyed being up there.

She looked around and saw people enjoying the performance. Luna, Neville, and Seamus were waiting tables. Luna even glanced at Hermione and gave her a thumbs up.

Ron was enamored with her. He only heard her sing once but to hear it again was unbelievable. She sang with her heart and soul and never had a moment of doubt.

Before she knew it, the song ended. She never expected this to happen. The audience cheered and whistled for her. It was so loud, Hermione couldn't hear herself think.

Harry happily went over to her and congratulated her. "You were amazing! Wasn't she amazing?" He asked the audience.

They again, applauded and cheered. Hermione thanked Harry and hugged him. She hasn't felt this happy in a while. Ron put the guitar back and walked her off stage.

"Oh my God, I did that!" She said excitedly. She felt a rush of excitement and energy.

He smiled at her proudly, "Yeah! You did amazing!"

They made their way outside. It was nice out, the stars were bright and it wasn't really cold out. Hermione walked slowly in her heels. Her long hair blowing in the wind.

She bit her lip, "Ron. Do your parents hate me?"

"No, Hermione. Look, we're all having dinner in an hour. Join us and they'll love you. Trust me." He kissed her on her forehead.


	19. An Unexpected Event

_**Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you for enjoying the story. My last chapter had the second most views out of all my chapters and I'm extremely grateful for that! Please keep reviewing so I know what to improve on and what you guys think. Thank you! Love you guys!**_

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Hermione changed into a strapless red dress and put on some white heels. She put on a cardigan to cover herself up, knowing that Ron's mother would point out how she dressed. She brushed through her hair and fixed it to her side.

"Okay, Hermione, everyo-" Ron had walked in the room and saw her in her dress, her side facing him. "Wow. H-Hermione. You-y-you look amazing."

Hermione blushed, she sat down on the bed and adjusted her shoes, "Thanks. I always love wearing dresses. Makes me feel girly."

She looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognize herself anymore. That girl who thought that there wasn't more to life and had lost hope was gone. In front of her, was a woman who knew her confidence and that the world had much to offer.

Ron stood by the doorway, "Come on, it's time for dinner now. Mum likes us to be there early."

Charlie, Percy, Bill, Fred, George, and Ginny were all at the table with lots of food in front of them. When Hermione walked in, Fred and George were whistling much to the dismay of Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione giggled, she was flattered that they still flirt with her even though she's known the for a while now. It was even kind of hilarious. Her and Ron took the empty seats between Fred and Percy.

Mrs. Weasley took her seat "So, Ron. This is your new friend?" She was looking at Hermione up and down as if she did something wrong.

"Yeah, her name is Hermione." Ron said quietly.

His father joined in on the conversation, "So Hermione, where are you from?"

She sighed, "Um, I'm actually from near here. But I hadn't moved her 'til I was like, maybe around twelve years old."

"And what do you like to do, my dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her.

Hermione just looked at her food. She knew they were asking these questions to know what she's like so she had to answer carefully. "I love basketball, I love to dance, and I love hanging out with my friends."

Mrs. Weasley nodded approvingly. "How did you and Ron meet?"

Her heart was pounding in her chest, she couldn't let them find out that their son found her being sexually assaulted by someone.

"She was actually new at my work. She started about a month ago." Ron answered for her. Hermione mouthed a thank you to him for backing her up.

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "Are you a virgin, dear?"

Hermione's eyes lit up and faced her, she knew she was asking her that question. She felt so anxious in that moment. Why had she asked that? She didn't know what to say.

"Why do you ask?" Hermione picked at her food.

"Oh, I'm just curious, dear."

Hermione raised her eyebrow and looked back at her food, "Yes, I am, Mrs. Weasley."

She smiled, "Good. Beautiful girl like you should save yourself for someone special."

Hermione bit her lip and dropped her fork. "Um, excuse me." She scooted back and quickly left the table, feeling so embarassed. Nobody said anything. Everyone awkwardly continued eating their food.

"Mom, can we talk?" Ron asked.

Mrs. Weasley got up and followed her son to the other room.

He quickly spoke up, "What was that about?"

"What was what, sweetie?" She fixed her dress.

"Mom, you know what I mean. Why would you ask her that? Does who she has sex with matters to you?" He was raising his voice at this point.

"Yes, because I love you. I don't want you being involved with women like that! You really think I'm going to let you hang out with trashy women like that?" She pointed at the room they were just in.

Ron shook his head, "You don't even know her, mom. How do you even know she's like that?"

She put her hands on her hips, "Because I know women like that! She walks in here, dressing like she works at a brothel in those gigantic heels! And you met her through work? She must be a call girl as well as waitressing."

"Never call her that ever again, mom." Ron firmly said.

"Dear, trust me. I know those people. I remember Bill and Charlie telling me about their wonderful girlfriends and some of them ended up sleeping with other men." She tried to reason with him but he still wouldn't listen.

"Mom, that's not Hermione at all. Just because she dresses like that, doesn't mean she's like that."

"Ron, she hasn't met Harry, right?" She put her arm on his shoulder.

"Yeah mom, she has met him. He's the boss." Ron said thinking his mother was slow.

"Oh no." She sighed, "She could be sleeping with Harry, Ron."

Ron groaned, "Oh my God, mom. You're being absurd! She wouldn't do that. Besides, Harry doesn't see her like that."

She looked so concern about her youngest son. She didn't want him getting hurt. Ron hugged her to show her that he knew what she was trying to tell him.

"Mom, she makes me happy. Really happy. We love each other, she makes me laugh, and she cares about me. Isn't that enough?"

She stood there, not answering him. Ron sighed and left her there, alone. He wanted to check on Hermione, hoped that she was okay. When he entered his room, she was there, sitting on the bed.

He walked closer to her, her eyes were slightly red from crying. She had a tissue in her hand to wipe away her tears. Ron sat next to her, he let her take her time before she wanted to talk.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I should have just never came with you in the first place. I should have just let that guy fuck me." A tear left her eye, she smiled, "It's what I get for being stupid."

He put his hands together, "Hermione." She continued crying and wiped her tears. "Hermione." He said again. She was still caught up with her own feelings and didn't hear him.

"Hermione!" He raised his voice at her, which scared her a little. She's never heard him yell at her before. "Look at me. That guy had no right to force you to do something."

"Yeah, but, I mean, I'm a stripper, I was asking for it." She said sarcastically.

He leaned closer to her, "How the hell is that asking for it, Hermione?"

"Well, apparently, I show my body to random strangers, so I must be asking for someone to fuck me right?" She scoffed.

"Hermione, you're a stripper, not a prostitute. But even if you were, that still doesn't give him the right to do that to you." He held her hand and fondled with it.

Her voice was breaking, "I'm just so scared to tell people what I do because they're so quick to tell me what I do is wrong and that I'm a horrible person."

"But you aren't, Hermione. Those people are just stupid. They're idiots." She laughed at this.

He brought her chin up so she was looking at him, "I love you, Hermione. For your kindness, your love for people, and your big heart."

"You know you sound like a kiss ass right now." She laughed.

He smirked, "I'm just saying the truth."

She laughed and leaned in to kiss him. When she pulled away, she looked at his eyes. "I love you. I just want to be more than just the girl who used to be a stripper. I want to do more with my life."

He held her hand tighter, "Like what?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Just something that'll be more than just this. I mean I love where I am now. I-" She paused when she caught him looking at her, "I just want to do something more."

"And you will." He said genuinely. "You don't need to do it today, Hermione. You'll find it soon."

She looked down and smiled, her eyes had a twinkle in them. It felt weird to her that they were sitting there in his room, saying nothing, but it felt nice at the same time. They always help each other through everything.

He brushed her hair back, "What do you want to do?"

She took a minute to think and she couldn't help but smile. "I really want to dance. I've always loved to do it since I was eleven. But, I don't know if I can base my career off dancing." She laughed.

He smiled at her, "You never know. Maybe you'd end up dancing with professionals one day."

Hermione perked her head up, "The only thing I love more than dancing is singing. I always wrote songs and sang them out loud to myself. Made sure it sounded good."

"You sound amazing when you sing. You really have a gift in you." He didn't want to sound like he was making it up but it was true.

A flush of red appeared on her cheeks, "Ron.."

He put his hands in his lap, "What is it?"

Her body felt hot, she couldn't think clearly. Hermione never felt this close to him before. Not that she didn't love all the times they've been together. She just felt that in that moment, when they were alone together and had a heart to heart conversation, it felt unusual.

She saw him leaning in closer to her. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She giggled, "What's the matter?"

Ron quickly looked away, "Oh, sorry. I was uh-um, sorry."

Hermione smiled, "No, really. What's wrong?"

He scratched the back of his neck, he looked really nervous. "I just think your lips look really nice."

This made her blush more, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Not that you don't look nice in general. You just look really-really pretty." He stuttered a bit on his words.

"Oh really?" She slowed down her words, "You seem to be complimenting me a lot tonight."

He started breathing heavily, "Y-y-yeah. I-I just think you look gorgeous."

She looked in his eyes, "Are you flirting with me, Ron?"

He shrugged, "You can't blame a guy for trying." He then placed his hand on her cheek, kissing her.

She slowly kissed back, but then pulled away. "I don't know if we should be doing this."

He backed away as well, "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you do anything you don't want to do."

She shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "No, it's not that. I mean, someone might walk in on us."

"I mean, nobody's watching us now." He pointed out.

"I know, but I just don't want this to lead to anything crazy. Like, you know, making out for ten minutes." She laughed.

Ron chuckled, "I wouldn't mind that at all actually."

She playfully hit him, "You're so crazy!" She giggled and pulled him in to kiss him one more time.

She felt his hands slowly travelling down her legs, then going back up. A slight moan came out of her as she kissed him. Again, she pulled away. She found his hands still on her legs.

Ron took his hand off her, "You just have really nice legs."

"Thank you, Ron." She looked down again, "Um, I don't know if I want to be doing this right now. I just feel really strange right now."

"It's alright, Hermione." He got up and brought his hand out to her.

She took his hand and stood up as well. They embraced for a long time. Before they let go, she kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Ron."


	20. A Bad Feeling

_**Thank you all for the reviews! Here's a rather shorter chapter for you guys. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.**_

* * *

The café was bustling with more customers than usual. Guests were coming in every five minutes or so. Coffee was being brewed, orders were cooked quickly, and the workers had to speed up.

"Luna! We need an order of sugar cookies! Table five is being impatient!" Seamus ordered. He was flipping patties for the hamburgers.

Hermione was carrying literal stacks of plates on her arms. She was surprised she never dropped a single one. She really improved on being a waitress over the past month.

"Okay, here's your salmon, your BLT, and your chicken soup. Enjoy." Hermione sighed as she walked away. Less stuff for her to carry calmed her down.

Why are people so hungry today? Was it the weather or something? Hermione didn't want to question it. It was better buisness for this place anyway so who was she to complain?

Neville was getting stressed out in the kitchen, having to make ingredients every minute. There were orders after orders after orders. Hermione helped him out sometimes.

She carried three plates of pancakes and two plates of hamburgers and fries. She felt like a robot that can carry so many things.

Seamus had set the stove on fire again a few days ago so it was a little slower to get any orders of food that had to be cooked on the stove. Hermione spotted a familiar head of blonde hair from behind. She gave the customers behind him their food.

She slowly walked up to him, "Hey Draco."

He turned to his right and laughed when he saw Hermione, "You startled me a bit."

She sighed, "Man, there are so many people here today."

He shrugged, "You can't blame them. The food is great and they have a beautiful waitress."

She raised her eyebrow, "Yeah, Luna is very pretty."

Draco chuckled, "Funny as well."

Hermione tapped her pen against her notepad. She didn't know if it was wrong for her to be talking to him. It's not like she was sleeping with him or anything. She just wanted to be friends with him. It still confused her as to why Ron seemed like he disliked Draco. Draco had only good things to say about him.

"So are you free after work?" He asked nicely.

She kept tapping the pen in her hand, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to have drinks with me later." He offered.

Hermione paused. She's only drank twice in her life. The first time was around the time she started stripping. It wasn't a lot though, just one glass of champagne. The second time, was of course at his party.

She was a little reluctant but eventually gave in. "Sure. It'll be fun." She gave him a warm smile.

He nodded, "Great. I'll be here until your done with your shift."

Somebody suddenly pulled Hermione by her arm. She turned around and was surprised as to who pulled her so quickly.

"What are you doing?" Seamus asked her.

"Just talking to the customer." Hermione said innocently.

"The place is full, we need to work quickly. There's food ready to be served." He instructed.

Hermione just nodded and ran over to the counter to pick up the food. She immediately went around to every table giving people their food.

Luna was having fun making cakes and cookies. She placed a tray of two dozen cookies in the oven, then proceeded to decorate a big yellow cake with colorful icing and sprinkles.

Hermione came in to the kitchen and saw everybody working. Then saw Harry on the phone. She smirked when he said Ginny's name.

He faced away from her, "Ginny, hold on, Hermione wants to talk to me."

Hermione crossed her arms and laughed.

"Ginny, I'll call you back in a minute!" He finally hung up the phone and looked at Hermione.

She raised her hands in innocence, "Don't look at me! I just wanted to talk to you."

He smiled, "Of course. What did you want to tell me?"

Hermione looked back at Seamus, Neville, and Luna to see if they were looking but she pulled Harry aside anyway.

She took a breath, and looked at him itensively, "Harry, can I be serious with you for a minute?"

"Sure, what is it Hermione?" He asked concerningly.

"You know Draco, right?" She felt really nervous.

He nodded, "Yeah, he went to school with Ron and I. What about him?

She rubbed her arm, "Has he really done anything bad?"

"Not that I know about, no. Why do you ask?" He looked curious.

"Well, because I mentioned him to Ron once and he told me he didn't want to talk about it." She explained.

"Hmm, maybe you should ask Ron. I don't know much about Draco actually." He said.

Hermione sighed, "But Draco just said he was really shy and he didn't mention ever meeting him."

Harry shrugged, "Sorry Hermione, I don't know."

Hermione was a little upset and mad at the same time. How can Harry not know who his best friend hates? She didn't want to be angry with him. "Thanks Harry."

She wrapped her arms around him in a big hug, "You're the best." She let go and giggled, "Okay, you can talk to your little girlfriend now."

Once she turned around to walk away, she gasped when a tall redhead was right in front of her, "Oh my God, Ron you scared me!"

His hands were around her waist, "You know, speaking of girlfriends.." he kissed her on her lips.

She giggled when they pulled away, "Shouldn't you be feeding people?"

"And shouldn't you be doing the same?" He joked.

She laughed, "Yes, I should. But you're distracting me by talking to me right now."

"Okay, I'll shut up. Just go." He let go of her and saw her leave.

* * *

The day went by quickly, despite the amount of people who showed up. It was almost three o' clock in the afternoon. She was cleaning up all the tables. It was only her, Harry, and Ron.

While she was cleaning a table, she saw Ron and Harry talking. She went up to them and waited for them to finish talking.

"Ron, is it alright if I stay here? One of my friends asked me to hang out with her for a while." It felt unusual for her to be lying to anybody, especially Ron.

"Sure. Are you gonna be alright here?" He put his hands on her shoulders.

She slowly nodded, "Yeah Ron. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt." He kissed her forehead.

Hermione smiled at him, she appreciated that he was worried about her. He was always protective of her like that.

He waved at her, "See you later then."

She cheekily blew a kiss to him. She was glad that Harry was busy doing something and not witnessing the cheesiness that is her and Ron. She picked up her towel up and finished up cleaning the tables in the back of the café.

There were some tips on the table from the customers who were still here a little after closing time. It was almost sunset outside. It was nice to look out from inside the café. The view was entrancing.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Draco stated. She turned around and found him sitting across from her.

She bit her lip, "Yeah. It really is. Wow, you really stayed here for so long."

He smirked, "Don't worry about it. It was worth the wait."

She suddenly felt nervous, it sounded like he was trying to flirt with her or something. "So, where did you want to go?"

He fiddled with his drink, "Have you heard of Club Accio?"

She felt uneasy. She knew where Club Accio was. It was four blocks away from where she worked and some of the girls went there sometimes after work.

"Yeah, I do. I never went there before though."

His eyes widened in disbelief, "Seriously? They have some of the best drinks around here. And I know the DJ there. He's really cool."

She smiled, "That's great, but I don't think I'm really dressed up to go to the club."

He stared her up and down, "You look pretty fine to me." She was wearing a shirt with a black mini skirt.

"Fine. I'll just finish up in here and we can go." She told him.

He nodded, "Got it."

She untied her apron and put it back. To her surprise, Draco was standing there, waiting for her.

She decided not to question him, "Alright, let's go." He followed her outside.

Hermione saw that Ron's car wasn't there anymore, and a lot more were gone too.

"My car is just over there." Draco pointed to his black Jaguar parked in front.

Hermione remembered the car from when they had dinner together. Draco took out his car keys and unlocked the door while Hermione immediately got in.

He took the wheel and looked at her, "It's only a five minute drive from here."

Hermione nodded. When he turned back to the road, she mumbled. "I know."


	21. Sinful Ecstasy

_**Who else is going to see Beauty and the Beast this Friday? I am sooo excited for it! Here's another chapter for you guys! Please review and I'll post more in a few days :)**_

* * *

Club Accio didn't really have a lot of people, possibly due to it being a weekday. Everything was so fast paced and Hermione took notice.

The bartender gave Hermione her red wine. "That'll be six dollars."

"But I thought it was-"

"Here you go." Draco handed him the money.

"Thank you sir." The bartender folded the money and put it in his pocket.

Hermione turned in her seat, "What was that about? I thought one glass of wine was ten dollars."

Draco smiled, "He gave you a discount."

"Why?" She asked seriously. She really didn't go to clubs often so she never knew what happened.

He laughed at how little she knew about this. "It's because you're cute."

She felt herself blush, "Really?"

"Yeah!" He took a sip of his Vodka. "That's one of the benefits here."

She thought that that rule was absurd but she didn't say anything. The DJ was playing electronic music. Everybody was dancing wildly.

"So, how is it working?" His attention was all on her.

"It's fine, but I wish I could find a better job." She admitted. It's not that she hated working there, she just needed more money.

"Mm, I probably would feel the same way. So, what do you want to do?" He lifted his glass and continued drinking.

Hermione laughed, "What do you mean?"

"Like, what is it you really want to do?" He sounded like he was seriously asking her.

She paused, "I don't know. I've made some bad decisions in my life but they were the only way for me to get through."

"I understand that." He placed his empty glass down on the counter. He took his second glass of Vodka.

She tucked her hair back, "Draco?"

He turned to her again, "What?"

"Did you know Ron? At all? During high school?" Hermione was hoping that he wouldn't reply harshly or ask her why she was asking.

He looked away for a second. She was afraid that what she said made him upset or something. He just shook his head. "I did know him but I just never hung out with him. He was always the shy guy."

"Well, I don't know if it's true but it seems like you did something bad to him or something." She confessed. She felt like she was invading his privacy but she just wanted the truth.

"Oh, is that what he said or what? I never did anything bad to him." He said.

Hermione was just drinking her wine. Draco sounded a little hostile. Or maybe he was offended of being accused of doing something bad.

"Sorry. I was just wondering." She felt really awkward now. She finished her drink and set it aside.

He watched her put the drink down, "Did you want more wine?" He offered.

She thought for a second, "Sure."

Draco gave the bartender the money for her wine. Hermione actually loved the wine. She wanted to ask what brand it was.

"You know, you really are different than most of the girls here."

Hermione remembered him saying that to her before. It felt really strange to be told that but it was also flattering in a way. "How so?"

He shrugged, "Well, you're a bit shy, but you can also be funny. You're a bit mysterious too, but at the same time, so open."

She blushed, "No, I'm just me."

"That is true." He laughed.

She took a long sip of her wine, since she didn't really know what to talk about.

He leaned forward a bit, "Have you ever had a drink before?"

She giggled "Only twice."

"Oh, I ask because of the way you drink." He said.

She laughed and pushed him, "Shut up."

"I mean it's nothing bad, it's just how you look when you're drinking." He explained.

"I've never really drunk a lot before but it's nice." She admitted. She felt really weird but she also felt really happy.

"Do you want to stay here or..?" He asked.

She shook her head, she didn't feel like she wanted to be there. She didn't really like being around other people.

Hermione sat in the passenger seat right next to Draco. She smiled at him when she caught him looking at her, "What?"

He quickly looked away even though he knew she saw him. "You-you just look great."

"Thank you." She moved her hair out her face. Her legs were crossed and she felt really sexy wearing her favorite shoes.

She peered down at his lap and saw something poking out in between his legs. She couldn't help but giggle.

He laughed a bit with her, "What?"

She moved her hand down her leg, "Are you horny right now?"

"W-what? N-no! No." He answered. She could see him growing embarassed.

She smiled, "Draco, it's okay. I won't be mad at you."

"Um, no Hermione. I know you're not mad. I-"

She slowly crawled over towards him and straddled him. They were facing each other, as she was sitting on top of his lap. She let out an involuntary moan when she felt his erection.

"Draco, you're really hard." She whispered. His arms were on her waist while her arms were over his shoulders.

"You're so beautiful." He said. He did the unexpected and kissed her. She kissed back, they were making out with each other.

He grabbed the ends of her shirt and pulled it over her head, she kissed deeper and she giggled when they pulled away. She felt his hard on against her panties. She started thrusting slowly against him, making her breathe heavily.

"Draco, I never knew how much you liked me." She moaned. He moaned as she thrusted against him again, she was teasing him. He pulled her closer to him, making her kiss him harder. He ran his fingers through her hair, slowly kissing her.

They finally pulled away from each other, he smiled at her. "You're so fucking gorgeous."

She trailed her fingers down to the buttons of his shirt, unbuttoning a few to reveal his abs. She swooned at the sight of his body.

There was a moment of silence, only the sound of them breathing. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, her eyes dilated. "W-why are we doing this?" She had realized what she's done.

He tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

She placed her hand over her mouth in shock, "Oh my gosh. What am I doing?"

Hermione quickly got off of him. She looked like she's seen a ghost. There were feelings of guilt and regret in her. Did she really just make out with a guy her boyfriend warned her about?

She started freaking out, she couldn't imagine how Ron would react. He'd probably yell at her, or worse, break up with her. She rubbed her head, she felt sick.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He touched her arm.

"What's wrong? I'm kissing a guy in his car and he's not my boyfriend!" She snapped.

Draco couldn't help but feel bad. He could tell that she really cared for Ron. "Don't worry. I mean, we didn't-"

She stared at him, "What am I supposed to tell him? That I had foreplay with another guy?"

"No, you don't have to tell him what happened. It wasn't your fault." He assured her.

"Yes, it is! I mean, if I had one more drink, I'd probably be having sex with you by now." She sighed.

"Hey." He brushed her hair back, "He won't find out. As long as you don't talk about this."

She put her hands over her face, "Oh my God, I feel so dirty. Why didn't you stop me?"

"I-I wan't sure if you wanted to stop." He said.

"Oh my gosh, I was so drunk. I didn't know what I was doing." She grabbed her shirt and quickly put it back on.

She laid back into her seat, "I just don't want to be cheating on my boyfriend. I love him so much."

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I was being insensitive." He admitted. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

She pulled down her skirt, "Please."

They didn't speak a word to each other the whole ride there. Hermione felt like for a moment, she was in ecstasy. Then, she felt guilt and shame.

She felt like it was her fault since she was the one who started it. But she was drunk, she didn't feel like herself and it wasn't like her to be doing that. They were parked in front of the Weasleys' home.

"Thank you, Draco." She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek to reassure him that she wasn't mad at him.

She opened the car and got out. Carefully, she stepped on the sidewalk in her heels. He silently drove off as she slowly walked up to the front of the house.

She raised her hand up to knock on the door, then quickly brought it down. Ron's parents would have answered the door instead of him, or one of his brothers.

Hermione took out her phone and dialed Ron's number. She stepped off the porch while the phone was dialing for Ron. "Come on, pick up, pick up, please."

"Hello?"

She sighed in relief, "Ron, it's me. Can you get the door for me? I didn't want to knock and have someone else answer."

"Okay. I'll be down in a minute."

She smiled, "Bye." It was only six and it was really dark out. It was quite scary to be out there in the dark alone. Hermione bit her lip, maybe she deserved to feel guilty. She loves Ron with all her heart and she didn't want to hurt him.

The door opened, Ron saw Hermione on the pathway, her back facing him. "Hermione?"

Quickly, she looked behind her and saw him. A smile spread across her face, she couldn't help feeling happy whenever she saw him.

"Hey, Ron." She gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

He kissed her back, then embraced her. "I'm glad you're alright."

There seemed to be nobody else who was up. Only the room they were in was lit, probably Ron turned the light on to answer the door.

He held her hands, "Have you been drinking anything?"

She was taken aback, "What? Why?"

"Well," he chuckled, "when you kissed me, I tasted a bit of wine on your lips."

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, I was drinking."

Ron wrapped his arms around her, "Do you mind if I had a taste?"

She laughed, "Why of course." He kissed her more passionately, causing her to laugh more.

"Okay that's enough!" She giggled. "I wouldn't want you to have too much."

"I can never have too much." Ron proclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, stop being so corny!" She stopped smiling and looked at his blue eyes. "I love you."

He grinned, "I love you too, Hermione."

They stared at each other in that moment. There was a certain sincerity in his eyes. She always found him quite handsome. His hair would always look slightly different every day. His sense of humor was another thing she really loved about him.

"I really want to get changed." She declared. "I'm sick of wearing these heels."

Ron laughed, "You look amazing in them though." She looked back and laughed at him.

* * *

 ** _Dun dun duuuuun...looks like Hermione is in TROUBLE! Haha, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D_**


	22. Catching Up

**_I'm not going to be seeing Beauty and the Beast until tomorrow but no biggie sorry for the wait but here's a chapter for you guys (my longest one I believe). Enjoy! :)_**

* * *

Hermione woke up feeling really confused. She felt kind of dizzy and a little uneasy. She got up out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Her hair was all over the place, her eyes looked tired, and her shirt was out of place. She grabbed the comb on the counter and fixed her hair.

Her hair was longer than it was in a long time. She used to feel insecure about her big hair but she started to love her own hair.

Ron was still asleep in the room. He was a heavy sleeper. Hermione decided not to wake him up. He could be dreaming. It was their day off today and tomorrow.

She changed into a tank top and shorts. It was getting hot lately. Hermione sneaked around the house to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley weren't around.

"Hey, beautiful." Hermione turned around and saw Fred, smiling.

She crossed her arms, "Hello Fred, I haven't talked to you in a while."

"I'm afraid we haven't. So, how is it like living in the Casa de Ron?"

She snickered, "It's really nice. Much better than where I'm from."

"You know, what happened the other night, we're sorry. Mom and dad can be really judgmental. Sometimes."

"Oh, no. It's fine. I shouldn't have showed up in the first place. It was your guys' night and I just came in and ruined it."

He made a face, "What? That's not true. We all love you, Hermione. Bill and Charlie think you're funny."

She smiled, "Really? I didn't know that."

He shrugged, "Percy thinks you're pretty. Me and George think so too."

She pulled her hair back, "Thank you, you're really pretty too."

He chuckled, "See? We love a girl with a sense of humor."

Hermione sighed, "I just hope that your parents are okay with me. They don't seem like they exactly like me."

He scoffed, "I wouldn't worry about it. They were like that when Percy brung his first girlfriend home. And I guess since Ron is the youngest guy, I could understand why Mom overreacted."

She scratched her hair, "There are so many of you guys. I can't imagine having six brothers."

"Do you have any brothers? Or sisters?"

She only nodded, "No. I'm an only child."

He whistled, "Wow. I can't imagine that."

Hermione smiled, "It's alright though. Besides, you guys feel like my family."

"I don't think we can handle another sibling." He joked. "You know, Ron really loves you."

She brought her face up, he said it in a maybe suspicious way. She was probably being paranoid.

"We'll all be talking about something and he'll find a way to mention you in the conversation."

There was a twinkle in her eyes and some red in her cheeks. She found it really cute how sweet Ron was. It only made her feel more remorseful. She had an amazing best friend and lover who cared about her. Then she just went out and cheated on him. She sort of felt relieved that things didn't go to far between her and Draco.

"Ron is really sweet." She smiled.

"He can be a brat as well." He stated.

Hermione giggled, he wasn't wrong. Around her, he wasn't really in a bad mood. She mostly saw it around other people that he can sometimes be a brat too.

She swung her hands forward and back, "I should probably go back up stairs. I just wanted to-to check if anyone was here."

Fred stood there, laughing. "Yeah, whatever. See you later."

She pushed the slightly open door and saw Ron, still sleeping on the floor. He was cuddled up and quiet. Hermione slowly made her way next to him and kneeled down.

She touched his arm and tried to shake him awake. "Ron?"

His eyes were still closed and he didn't move. "Ron." She sang.

She decided to lay on her side, facing him. He was still in a deep sleep. "Ron? Ron?"

She raised her voice, "Ron!"

Suddenly, Ron shook quickly in his sleep and saw her next to him. There was a cheeky smile on her face.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice sounding a bit husky.

"Trying to wake you up." She said giggling. He sat up and rubbed his face. He didn't say anything to her in response.

She sat up as well and looked at him intently, "What happened, baby?"

He sighed, "I just had a scary dream."

Hermione could see terror in his eyes. "What was it about?"

He looked at her and pursed his lips. "I-It's stupid."

"Oh. Please? I won't judge you." Hermione begged.

He resisted, "You'll laugh at me."

She sighed, "Come on. Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Ron laughed, "Okay, okay, okay! You big baby!"

She smiled, "Seriously, I won't pick on you."

He sighed, "I was dreaming that spiders were infesting my room. They were huge and their eyes were so terrifying!"

She shuddered, "That sounds really horrible."

"Can I tell you something?" Ron asked, getting serious.

"Sure. Anything." She said reassuringly.

"I – don't – like – spiders." said Ron tensely.

"I never knew that." said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise.

"I mean, I don't mind them if they're dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move…" he wiggled his fingers.

She touched his arm, "That's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I just hate spiders. They freak me out." His skin was crawling just thinking about it.

She held his hands, "Don't worry. I'll protect you from them." She couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" He said laughing with her.

"I just think it's adorable that you're scared of spiders. I don't think any guy will admit that to a lot of people."

He only smiled at her. She couldn't help but notice how cute he looked. His red hair was messy, but made him look really sexy. His eyes looked really vivid. The top buttons of his plaid shirt were unbuttoned, showing a bit of his chest.

"What?" He caught her staring at him.

She gave him a big smile, "You just look really handsome."

He chuckled, "Please, you look better than I do."

She laughed, "That's so not true."

"Come on, practically all of my brothers have crushes on you." He pointed out.

"Ron, I'm sure that isn't true. Aren't some of them like, way older than me?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but Fred and George obviously want to get in bed with you."

She scoffed, "They're mostly joking, Ron."

"I guess, they joke about it way too much then." He held his hands together.

She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips, "Hey, don't take it too seriously. Nothing is ever going to get in the way of me loving you more than I already do."

Ron grinned at his girlfriend, "You are so amazing. You know that?"

"So are you." She hugged him in a quick embrace. Hermione felt better since she really did love him. She didn't want to see him so hurt.

"I'm going to talk to Ginny." She told him. "I want to ask her how things are. Especially things with Harry."

He laughed at her, "You're so nosy."

"I know." She proudly said before running downstairs to find her room.

Ginny was wearing sweatpants and a tank top with a sweater over it. She was on her bed, writing in her journal. Her red hair was straight and ended near her chest. She heard a knock on her door. "Come in!"

Hermione slowly opened the door, "Hey Ginny!"

"Oh, hi Hermione." She said happily.

"So, I suspect you're going on your second date with Harry." Hermione playfully said.

Ginny smiled at the thought of Harry, she really liked him. "Yeah, I'm so nervous but so excited too!"

"Aww, I love how happy you get when you think of him." She said.

"He's just so kind and amazing." Ginny gushed.

Hermione smiled. She thought to ask her a question. It was about Draco, but she wasn't sure if Ginny knew who he was. She decided not to, she hasn't spoken to Ginny in a while and didn't want to talk about boy trouble. Especially since Ginny was too focused on Harry to talk about anyone else.

Hermione sat next to her, "So, did he call you or anything? Like, when he asked you out for the second time?"

"Yeah, we gave each other our phone numbers. He called yesterday asking me if we can go to the movies together." Ginny was really full of life. She looked like she was exuding butterflies and rainbows and confidence.

"What about you and my brother? You guys have been going out for a while now." Ginny unexpectedly changed the subject.

Hermione smiled, "Yeah. Um, I was surprised that I've been with him for this long. I never really dated anyone before."

"Are you serious? Is he the only boyfriend you've had?" Ginny asked genuinely.

Hermione nodded, "Yeah. I don't think anyone else is as nice as he is. There are so many guys who aren't like him anymore."

Ginny nodded, "Ron can be cool sometimes. It's just being the only girl in the family, I never really could relate with anybody. I was always just the only daughter."

Hermione nudged her, "I think you're the coolest one."

"Thanks. Fred and George always called themselves the cool ones." She laughed.

"I like to think that they want to say they're cool so they feel cool." Hermione joked.

Ginny lifted a finger, "That sounds exactly like them."

"They're great to talk to if you need a good laugh though." Hermione said truthfully.

Hermione felt her phone vibrate, it was Draco. He texted her a message. She nervously checked to see what it said. He was asking her if she was alright.

She didn't know what to say to him. She felt like she didn't want to see him again after what happened. But she also didn't want to be rude and cut him off because of that.

"Ginny, I have to go right now. I'll talk to you later?" She began to walk off.

Ginny smiled, "Sure. See you around."

Hermione pulled out her phone and answered back to Draco. She hoped he would respond soon, she wanted to talk to him. Distracted looking at her phone, she bumped into someone turning the corner. She nearly fell but she caught herself. It was Ron, eating a strip of bacon.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She couldn't help but laugh, "What are you doing?"

"Eating breakfast." He simply answered.

Hermione laughed, "I was just talking to Ginny. Her and Harry are going to the movies." She said in a sing-songy voice.

He chewed on his food, "It's still so weird seeing my best friend going out with my sister."

She crossed her arms, "Yeah, your best friend is going out with my best friend."

"Oh wow, that's mind-blowing!"

Hermione couldn't tell is he was seriously asking or if he was being sarcastic. Either way, it was funny.

Hermione sighed, "I'm so bored."

"What did you want to do?" He asked with his mouth full.

She slowly formed a smile, "I thought about taking a dancing class."

"Really now?"

"Yeah," she bit her lip, "with you, maybe?"

He paused. Hermione wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Uh-wow. I don't know." he scratched the back of his neck.

"If you don't want to, it's fine." she smiled.

"N-no, no. It's not that I don't want to. I just don't want to be in front of so many people doing it." he admitted.

She nodded, then perked up, "Hey, I can teach you how to dance with me. It'll be fun!"

He slowly nodded, "I guess."

"Oh my gosh, we can start now!" She took his arm and pulled him to the front of the house. He struggled to keep up with her and almost fell over.

They were now outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the flowers in the front of the house were bloomed. Everything was colorful and pretty. Hermione found a spot where they can practice.

She gestured to Ron, "Come on, I found us somewhere we can dance."

"Oh, bloody hell, you're serious about this?" He asked nervously.

She scoffed, "Yeah! It's okay Ron, it's easy."

He positioned himself in front of her, facing her.

She looked up at him, "Okay, so put your right hand behind my waist."

"Wait what?" he asked nervously.

She giggled, she took his right arm and moved it behind her waist. "Okay, now, you take my hand. Like this."

Both of them interlocked their hands together, "There you go. You're getting it." she smiled.

"Okay, now you move your left foot out while I move my right." she instructed. He nodded, then moved to his left.

"Now you're gonna bring your other foot too. So bring your right foot to your left."

Hermione giggled when he got it right. "That's it! Okay. Now, you're gonna bring your left foot forward while I step back. But then you bring your right foot out. Here, I'll show you."

She looked down at their feet to guide him, "So left forward, then go right with your right foot. Then, bring your left foot together with your right."

Ron was dancing slowly at first, but then started to get it.

"Great! Now let's do it again," she moved as she talked, "Left foot, bring them together, forward, right, bring them together. Now back, left foot, together. You're doing great, Ron!"

He started moving his feet faster and messed up, "Oh, I'm so bad."

She giggled, "Ron, you're doing great! You don't have to be an expert on the first try."

He nervously smiled at her while he was trying to recover.

"Now you know how to do a Waltz." she smied. "Don't worry, Ron. You'll know how to dance soon."

"Easy for you to say! You're a better dancer than I am!" he said.

"Well, I have taken belly dancing classes before." she stated.

"Really? How long ago was that?" he asked curiously.

"Maybe about three years ago," she said trying to think of exactly how long ago it was. "but I'm still pretty good at it."

He placed his hands on his hips, "See, I'm not much of a dancer. It's really not my thing."

She shrugged, "Well, then what is your thing?"

"I don't really know yet. There's so much pressure when you're the youngest child," He took a seat on the steps in the front of the house. "your parents expect a lot from you."

She stood next to him, "Like what?"

"Well, they always ask a lot from me. Like, I have to get a decent job and I have to think about my future."

She nodded, "That does sound really tough on you."

"I mean, Fred and George always talked about owning their own joke shop one day. I don't think that'll ever happen." He laughed.

"Really? That's a great idea actually." Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, but I don't know what I want to do in my life yet."

Hermione could feel empathy for him. She's been in the same situation. She was just a young woman who didn't know what was best for herself and made bad choices.

"Hey, Hermione." He looked up at her.

She smiled down to him, "What is it?"

"Do-do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" He hesitated.

"Sure Ron. I'd love too." She smiled, she thought that Ron didn't have anything to be nervous about.

He got up from the steps, "Okay, I was thinking of going to that new place not too far from here."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "It's a date."


	23. Taking a Turn

Ron nervously fumbled with his hands. He was really nervous around Hermione tonight. He thought she looked especially beautiful tonight. She wore a black dress with a plunging neckline, her hair was straight and long, and her lips were red and glossy.

Hermione rested her arms on the table as they were waiting for their food. She glanced around, looking for something interesting. When her eyes landed on Ron, she caught him staring at her. "What?" she laughed.

"You're just-just so beautiful." he said quietly.

"Thank you, Ron." she flipped her hair back and looked the other way.

"Okay, here is your steak and your lasagna." The waitor placed the food on the table.

"Thank you." Hermione told the waitor. She cut a piece of lasagna and took a bite. When she looked up at Ron again, he was still staring at her.

She gave a nervous chuckle, "Okay Ron, you're kind of freaking me out right now."

"Sorry, it's just that you look so amazing. I mean-wow."

Hermione turned red, "Ron, are you sure you're okay?" she laughed.

"I-I think so." He gave her a goofy grin.

Hermione couldn't deny that she felt sexy, she wanted to look and feel sexy. It was sort of like her to just want to feel sexy.

"Hermione, do you like it here?" he asked her, folding his arms.

She immediately nodded, "Yeah, I love it here. It's nice being here. Especially with you."

"Good. I was hoping you would." he said sounding a bit worried.

She caught how he was moving, "Ron, it's okay. I don't care where I am. As long as I'm with you."

Hermione found it odd how Ron was acting weird. She tried not to let it bother her but she couldn't help but worry about him.

He leaned on the table, "Hermione? Do you like to read?"

Her face immediately lit up, "Are you kidding me? I love to read! Have you read that book about this wizard and his friends? They go to this school and so much wacky stuff happens."

He nodded, "Yeah, I know the one you mean! Very interesting book, that is."

She nodded excitedly, "Yes! I love to read. I always felt like I love books a little too much."

He smiled, "No, there's no problem with that. Not at all. If anything, I think it makes you more interesting."

"What about you? Do you like to read as well?" She put her hands under her face.

He just shrugged, "You know, not really but I like to read a few books."

Hermione giggled, she knew that he was obviously lying a little. He didn't really seem like he read a lot. "Awesome."

Ron adjusted on his seat. He put his hands down on the table, "Hermione, if you don't mind me asking, why did you end up being, you know?"

She laughed, she didn't mind him asking. It was just his awkwardness that made it so innocent to ask.

She cleared her throat, "Well, I had just turned eighteen, and I was looking for a job.."

Ron looked at her seriously, paying attention to her story. Hermione felt kind of strange since she had no idea what he was thinking in that moment.

She continued on, "Um, so I've started living by myself and I needed money to get through. I've tried waitressing, babysitting, and being a cashier," she counted with her fingers.

Ron narrowed his eyes, looking more into the story.

Hermione sighed heavily, "Of course those didn't work. I could never find somewhere to work. So, as a last resort, I...went to this club. And decided to be a stripper."

She smiled nervously, it was difficult for her to keep a straight face. She never wanted to be judged because of what she's done. So many people always had these misconceptions about strippers that only Hermione knew about.

"So, I walk in. Of course, there's guys everywhere, some drinking, some going crazy, and some getting lap dances. I ask the bartender if I can work there and he told me that the manager was in the back." She coughed.

"So I make my way to the back and I see the manager's office so I knock. And I hear him telling me to come in, so I come in and he had to be a little older than I was. He just looked a little young to be the manager. So I ask him if I can work there and he just ends up giving me the job." She laughed.

"Wait, so you didn't have to audition or anything?" Ron asked her.

She shook her head, "No, not at all. I mean I already knew how to dance so I figured it would be fine. I was just glad that he didn't ask for any 'favors' from me." Hermione made air quotes on 'favors'.

"But, it went well. I did have to show my I.D. since I looked really young but other than that, it was fine. It felt really strange working there on my first day. The other girls were all different ages. I remember one of them was in her forties."

Ron widened his eyes, "Really?"

"Yeah, and all of us would get ready together. There were loads of costumes for us to choose from. All the shoes they had were about five inches or higher." She gestured her fingers to show him the size.

"But working there wasn't everything I was expecting. Mostly because of the guys there. Some men would grab or even slap our butts whenever we walked by them. The one rule that they had was that nobody touches the strippers," she said matter-of-factly.

She shuddered, "Some men would just take out their," she pointed down, "you know. But yeah, they wouldn't care at all. Some guys would get kicked out if they were caught laying a finger on any of girls. At all."

"Yeah, being a stripper wasn't at all what I was expecting. I don't really like to tell people about it because like who wants to hear about working at a strip club?" She chuckled.

He gave her a look of understanding, "I mean, I don't mind it. I'm just glad that you're here right now, happy and healthy."

Hermione loved how he really cared about her well-being. "And then, you saved me," she said referring to the incident that happened with the man that night, "if you hadn't found me, I'd probably be dead."

Ron leaned over the table to hold her hand, "Hey, don't worry about that. I'll always be there for you."

She nodded, she knew how much he loved her. It made her feel undeserving sometimes. No matter what happened between them, he always cared for her.

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "And...I have something to prove it."

Hermione cocked her head as she was confused as to what he meant. He took out a little box and opened it.

Hermione placed her hand over her heart in shock, "Ron, what is this?"

He pulled out the necklace to show her. "I just wanted to give you something nice, and to remind you that I'm always here for you."

The necklace was gold and had an "R" initial. There was a little heart charm next to it. Hermione thought it was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

She hesitantly took the necklace from out of his hand, "Ron, you really didn't have t-"

"I want to give it to you," he interrupted, "I want you to have this. Besides, you gave me my guitar that one time, so think of this as my gift to you."

Hermione smiled at him, "I love this. It's so beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." Ron agreed.

"I'll always think of you when I wear it." She touched the R with her thumb. Her eyes wouldn't look away from it.

"Hey Ron, is it alright if we go home now? I feel full." She said looking down at her food. Her plate was empty.

"Sure," he moved over in his seat, "come on, let's go."

It was really late, the sky was pitch black and the stars were twinkling. It was really windy and cold outside. Hermione liked the way her hair was being blown. She was concerned if Ron's parents knew that he was out really late. But then again, he's in his twenties so she didn't question why they would be concerned about him.

As they were walking, Hermione was holding the necklace. "Ron, can you put this on for me?"

Ron took the necklace out of her hands and swung it around her neck. She pulled her hair out of the way so he can hook it from the back. He stopped for a minute as he noticed a tattoo on her neck. It was of a bird with it's wings out.

Hermione turned around a bit, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, sorry. I just noticed your tattoo." He admitted.

"Oh, I got that when I was nineteen. It's my only tattoo." She explained.

Ron nodded, he never thought that Hermione, out of all people would have a tattoo. "I like it." He said, finally securing the necklace around her neck. She let go of her hair and let it fall.

Ron turned her around to see how it would look on her. He pushed her hair out of the way. The necklace laid there, just above her cleavage.

"Hermione, you look beautiful." He really couldn't keep his eyes off her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "Now, I can always think of you when I wear this. Not that I already do."

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What do you think about when you think of me?"

She giggled quietly and just stared at him. "Everything."

She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. She started slow, as she wanted it to be long. Ron always kissed back deeper, sometimes making her laugh while they're kissing. She moved her hand behind his head as she kissed him once more.

Hermione cheekily pulled away from him. She liked how he was never rough with her whenever they kiss. He always wanted to be sure she was comfortable.

"We should probably go before you get home late because you were to busy kissing me." She joked.

He smirked, "I actually wouldn't mind that."

Hermione rolled her eyes, laughing. When she got in the car, she let out a huge sigh. She felt exhausted for some reason. Her heels were hurting her feet and her makeup felt heavy.

"I don't really stay out late. I usually just stay at home. Sometimes Fred and George will still be up, making prank calls."

She smiled, "Those twins are something else."

Ron started the engine. It was really dark outside, making it difficult to see anything. It was a little eerie, but it's been dark before so it was really no surprise.

Ron hit the gas pedal and started driving. He could barely see any other cars on the road, even with headlights on.

"Did you have a good time?" He asked her.

"Of course. Thank you." She looked down at her necklace.

"I'm glad you had a great time. I wasn't sure how tonight was going to go." He turned the wheel and they turned to another street.

"Don't worry, Ron. I had an amazing time. You're very sweet." She smiled.

"Hermione, I've-"

At that moment, Hermione didn't know what happened. It felt like she couldn't do anything. All she remembered was a bright flash of a white light. She felt herself being turned over and over and over, like she was at the carnival.

She couldn't recall feeling any pain, it struck her for a second. It was all overtaken by shock. She could have never predicted this at all. It's never happened to her in a lifetime. Then, she finally realized. They've been in a car accident.


	24. Unfamiliar Environment

_**Hey guys! Here's the long awaited chapter! Please keep writing reviews and enjoy the story!**_

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Hermione opened her eyes to see a blurred image of someone beside her. "Ron? Ron?" she muttered.

"Oh, she's awake." Except it wasn't Ron. It was a doctor, he was taking care of Hermione.

When she looked down, she saw bandages on her body. She hasn't seen so many bandages on herself before. "What happened?"

"Well, you were in a really bad accident. A truck hit you and it ended up overturning your car."

She widened her eyes, she couldn't believe it.

"Luckily, you only have some minor injuries. Just some mild cuts and bruises. Nothing serious." He touched her bandaged arm.

She gasped when she realized something, "Wait, what happened to Ron? He was driving the car."

He can hear the distress in her voice. "I believe he's in another room being treated as well. Now I don't know what happened to him but they had him go to the E.R."

Hermione couldn't decide if she should feel relieved or panicked. Was Ron in any danger? Was he in really bad codition? Was he going to make it alive? Hermione was starting to worry about him. She couldn't imagine the thought of him being dead. It never crossed her mind and she didn't want it to.

"You need to rest, Miss Granger. We're not letting you go for at least twenty four hours." He informed her.

She sighed, and thought that it was better than her staying there for a week. She couldn't stand hospitals. Her eyes began to close and she drifted off into a long sleep.

Hermione awoke and found herself alone in the room. The doctor was probably out. She looked around to find a clock, something to indicate the time.

There was a clock on her right side, it read three o' clock. AM or PM? Hermione groaned as she couldn't tell how exactly long she's been in there.

She found a tray of food beside her. It was a ham sandwich, a cookie, and orange juice. "What is this? Third grade?" She lightly joked.

Hermione unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. She noticed x-rays on the wall of her arms and ribcage. The doctor was right, her bones looked fine. Her ribcage looked the most damaged, she can remember feeling the most pain near her waist when she woke up earlier. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Hermione uttered.

To her surprised, it was Ginny. She had a big sweater on and jeans. "Hey Hermione, how are you feeling?"

Hermione sat up, "I feel better than I was earlier. What time is it?"

Ginny pulled out her phone, "It's 3:10."

"In the morning or afternoon?" She asked cautiously.

"Afternoon." Ginny simply answered.

"Oh my gosh," she put her hand to her head, "I've been in her for almost a day?"

Ginny nodded, "You guys had a pretty bad crash last night. The lady who drove the truck that hit you guys called the police and they took you guys here."

"What? A truck hit us?" Hermione asked in dibelief. It was no wonder she was in so much pain.

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, Ron's still in the E.R. and they're still doing surgery on him."

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked, wanting to make sure he was alright.

"We're still not sure." Ginny said unfortunately.

Hermione couldn't help but feel upset, "What do you mean? He has to be okay, right?

"They told us that we'd have to wait for a while before they can say anything." Ginny said sadly. She looked really concerned for her brother.

Hermione laid back against the bed. She let out a sigh, "I-I just don't want him to be hurt. This is all my fault. If we weren't out so late I-"

Ginny snapped her fingers in front of her face, "Hey, hey. Hermione, it's not your fault. This was nobody's fault. It was just an unfortunate accident."

Hermione brought her fingers to her chest, she felt her necklace. It was still there. The necklace that Ron gave her was still intact.

Ginny peeked at where she was feeling on. "That's a cute necklace."

Hermione looked down and smiled. Just looking at the initial reminded her of Ron. It gave her a sense that he would be alright.

Ginny crossed her arms, "What does the R stand for?" Hermione just smiled. She knew that Ginny would be curious about that. "Let me guess. Ron?"

"Yeah," she looked down at it again, "Ron gave it to me on our date last night. She especially loved the little red heart next to the R.

"You know it's funny, because Harry gave me this necklace on our date yesterday." Ginny pulled out her necklace from under her sweater.

Hermione laughed, "That's insane!"

"It's no wonder they're best friends." Ginny said referring to Harry and Ron.

"Maybe they planned it." Hermione wondered. Although she didn't think that was true. It was merely a coincidence.

"Probably. I need to go now since the doctor told us we can each go for like ten minutes." Ginny informed her.

Hermione brushed her hair to the side, "Alright. I really appreciate you coming to visit Ginny."

Ginny leaned forward to hug Hermione. Hermione felt weird since Ginny was wearing a big jacket and it was hard to hug her.

When she left, Hermione sighed. She really hated having to stay in a room by herself for God knows how long. On top of that, she had Ron on her mind and wondered if he was okay.

She wouldn't know what to do if he didn't make it. She would blame herself and regret so many things. Every bad thing she's ever done would just hit her harder than it already has.

Hermione had so many things she was holding on to. She has done things that she wasn't proud of. Now, there was a possibility of losing the one person that she really loved.

Her mind stopped racing when she heard another knock on the door. It sounded like whoever was behind the door was making the knocking sound like a song.

"Come in." Hermione said, taking a sip of her orange juice. The door opened, and the twind appeared.

"Hello!" They said in unison.

Hermione didn't think that they'd show up either. Maybe Ron's whole family was here. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What? You didn't think your favorite people in the whole world wouldn't come visit you?" Fred said taking a seat next to her.

George was carrying a vase with a rose in it. "We picked this from our plants." He placed it on the desk next to her.

Fred had a box of chocolates on his lap. "We also got these. These were for Dad but he didn't want it."

Hermione took the box, "Is everyone here?"

George shook his head, "Bill and Charlie are busy. Percy is sleeping."

"Is Ron alright? I haven't seen him since the accident." Hermione couldn't help but ask everyone that same question.

"No idea," said Fred, "the doctor said we'll have to wait until tonight to find out if he needs to stay here for a few weeks."

"I'm just worried about him. I really didn't need any surgeries, what if he's more injured than I am?" She rubbed her arms.

"He might be, but that doesn't mean he won't get better." George told her. Something in the way he smiled made her feel optimistic about Ron.

Fred got up from the chair, "Well, we better go now. The doctors might get mad at us and throw a fit."

George got up as well. He faced her, "Get better, okay?"

Hermione nodded, "I will."

"Good," he kissed her forehead, "we'll see you later."

Hermione felt better that Ginny, Fred, and George came to visit her. She didn't feel alone. She looked at the rose that George gave her. It was a vibrant red and it was fully bloomed.

She put her hands up to her neck and thumbed the necklace again. The piece of jewelry felt like a good luck charm to her. She kissed it, "I love you, Ron. I hope you're alive and well tomorrow." Hermione then slowly dozed off to another sleep.


	25. Please Remember

_**Hey guys! It's been soooo long but I'm finally back! Enjoy!**_

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Hermione moved her head around as she awoke. The doctor was sitting next to her. "Good morning, Miss Granger. I have some good news for you."

It was morning? Hermione looked out the window and saw daylight. It had to be late in the morning since it was really bright.

She pushed herself off from the bed, looking at the doctor. Was it something about Ron? Was it about her? Was it about what happened in the crash?

"You're free to go home. Just be sure to keep the bandages on and not to move around so much." He tapped a pen against his clipboard.

Hermione nodded, "Alright. Thank you, Doctor."

She found her shoes on the side of the bed. She slipped them on and immediately left the room. There was no sign of the Weasley family anywhere. She assumed maybe all of them left.

Doctors were swarming the hallways. When she reached the corner, she saw a familiar pair of redheads. She walked behind them and tapped one of them on the shoulder.

"Hey! What's-oh. Hey Hermione." It was George.

Fred had his hands in his pockets, "The doctor let you go?"

"Yeah, he said I can go as long as I keep my bandages on."

They nodded together. "It's great you're feeling better, Hermione."

She looked around, "Is everyone still here?"

George nodded, "Oh yeah, Ginny just went in there to talk to him."

Her eyes widened, "Him? You mean Ron? So, he's okay?"

"Yeah, he just woke up an half an hour ago though. Poor guy is so sleepy." Fred said scratching his chin.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but a nurse approached them, "Do you guys want to speak to Mister Ron Weasley?"

George turned to Hermione, "Do you want to speak to him first?"

Hermione played with her hands and looked down, "Uh-sure. Yeah. I want to talk to him."

"Do you know Mister Weasley?" She asked her.

"Yeah, she's his girlfriend." Fred answered for her.

The nurse nodded and gestured to Hermione, "Okay, come with me."

Hermione mouthed a "thank you" to Fred as she walked past them. The room wasn't that far from where Fred and George were.

Her body was growing with anxiety when the nurse opened the door. She felt a certain heavyness in the room.

"Alright. You have about ten minutes, then I'll have to ask you to leave." She said assertively. Hermione nodded and the nurse closed the door, leaving Hermione and Ron alone.

She felt like she was in an unfamiliar environment. Her boyfriend was in a hospital bed with an IV in his arm. His head was covered in bandages. She noticed that he was wearing glasses. The doctor might have took his contacts out or they might have fallen out in the crash.

She quietly walked over to his side, "Hey."

He smiled up at her, he looked really bad. "Hey."

She took a seat on the chair beside his bed. "Do you feel okay?"

"I guess I've been worse." He said laughing. Even when he was hurt, he knew how to joke around.

"You know, I feel really bad for getting you in here." She bit her lip.

He motioned his hand, "Don't worry, it's okay. I actually like being in here."

Hermione immediately raised her eyebrows, "What? Why would you be happy here?"

"Because I get to see you." He said. From what she thought, it seemed like he was being flirtatious with her.

She blushed, "Ron, I've been in the hospital for almost two days."

"Oh, you have?" He looked really confused, as if he was the only one who got hurt.

"Yeah, I got hurt after the accident. That truck hit you pretty hard." She brushed her hands around his face.

"Wait, what truck?"

Hermione grew confused, "A truck hit us two nights ago."

"Hit us? Like both of us?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah," she reached for her necklace, "you gave me this on the night of the accident."

He examined the necklace she was holding. "I don't remember giving you that at all. You must be talking about someone else."

Hermione widened her eyes in shock. "No, you gave this to me. We were having dinner and you gave this to me."

"I thought the R stood for your name or something." He said.

"Wait," Hermione had finally come to a realization, "Ron, you know who I am?"

He shook his head, "No, no idea."

She couldn't believe what he was saying to her right now, "It's me. Hermione."

"No, I don't think we've met before." He was being serious about it.

Hermione had so many feelings. She didn't know if she should be upset, angry, or sad. Maybe the crash caused this. Maybe his medicine made him go into a confused state.

"Ron, it's me," she sighed, "your best friend, Hermione."

He looked the other way, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just don't remember anything. I know my family is here."

The doctor came in and saw Hermione, "Excuse me miss, but I'll have to ask you to leave now."

"What happened to him?" She demanded. Her body was filling up with anger.

"What do you mean?" He asked unknowingly.

"Did you assholes do something to him? He doesn't remember me. At all." It was unlike Hermione to yell at people but she demanded an answer.

Fortunately, the doctor ignored her language and looked at his clipboard. "Due to the blows on his head and other injuries, Ron seemed to have developed psychogenic amnesia. He can't remember who he is and who anyone else."

She crossed her arms, "Is this permanent or temporary?"

He continued reading the paper on his clip board, "It could last for weeks. Even years."

"Years?" Hermione repeated.

"Yes. It depends on the person. He might regain some memory with time." He explained.

Hermione just nodded, then walked out of the room. Just when she couldn't get any more angry, she saw Ron's parents outside.

Hermione rolled her eyes then turned the other way. She heard his mother calling for her but Hermione ignored her. His mother begged her and begged her until Hermione finally stopped.

"What? What is there to talk about? Are you just gonna call me a tramp again? Go ahead! Say what you want about me. But someone who I love with all of my heart is in there in a hospital bed and he doesn't remember me!" Hermione felt so heated. She didn't care about anything in that moment.

His mother stopped her, "Hermione, dearie, I'm so sorry about what happened the other night. Ron's my little boy and I was so worried about him."

Hermione just nodded, not paying attention to her. "Yeah, you know what? You don't have to worry about him anymore. He doesn't remember who I am. Now you won't have anything to do with me anymore."

She stopped Hermione again, "Sweetie, I'm truly sorry for what I said to you. Ron has had so many people against him. I just didn't want him to go through what he went through in school before."

Hermione looked at her eyes, they were blue like Ron's. "I can understand that. But you really upsetted me. You know, I really love Ron. He makes me so happy."

His mother smiled at her, "Ron has mentioned you a few times before. He really fancies you."

"Well now it's all gone. Since he has amnesia now." Hermione said sadly.

"He doesn't remember anything dearie. Even us. We just told him that we were his family. He might need to adjust to us for a while. Same goes for you as well."

Hermione sighed, "I just don't know what to do. I mean, my own boyfriend has no idea who I am. It's not like he's going to fall in love with me again. Or ever..."

His mother lifted her chin up, "You never know sweetheart. If he fell in love with you once, he can fall in love with you again."

Hermione smiled, "I really hope so."

His mother was staring at Hermione's necklace, it twinkled a little under the lights. Hermione noticed she was looking, "What is it?"

"Your necklace. Who gave that to you? It's a gorgeous necklace."

Hermione smiled, "Ron did actually. The night when," she paused, "when the accident happened."

"Oh, sweetie." She hugged Hermione tightly, feeling sorry for her.

"So, what happens now? Do we all just go home?" Hermione asked her.

"I'm afraid we do." Ginny said from behind Hermione. "Fred and George told me that they'll have to keep him for a few more days until he can come home."

Hermione nodded. She had no choice but to agree. Hopefully, if Ron returned home, he would regain some of his memory. If that wouldn't work, Hermione wasn't sure what she would do.


	26. New Life

_**Hey guys! Good news! Here's another chapter! Please review and have a great day!**_

* * *

It's been a week since Hermione and Ron were in that car accident. It was finally time for Ron to come home. Hermione has been staying in Ron's room for the past week. It was strange not having Ron there with her. His guitar was sitting against the wall, she wondered if he remembered how to play it.

The door slowly opened and she can hear his mother's voice, "And this is your room." She was showing Ron around the house.

Hermione quickly got off his bed. She reminded herself again that she shouldn't be in his room since he didn't remember her. "Sorry, I was just looking for my shoes."

Ron gave her a confused look. She awkwardly walked past him, then went downstairs.

Ron leaned next to his mother, "Who is that girl? I'm not related to her, am I?"

She shook her head, "No Ronald, she's a good friend of ours."

The doorbell rung. Hermione was downstairs so she quickly made her way to the door. "Who could be at the door?"

She opened the door and saw Harry, "Harry!" she jumped up and hugged him. "Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?"

He smiled at her, "I wanted to make sure you and Ron were okay. How's Ron? Is his memory getting better?"

Hermione frowned, "I don't know. It's his first day back from the hospital so we don't know yet.

"Oh, well, I actually wanted to see Ginny as well." He shyly said.

"Oh really?" Hermione teased.

"Shut up." He said, defending himself.

"Her room is just over there." Hermione gestured.

Harry smiled, "Thanks, I'll see you later Hermione."

"Bye Harry." She shut the door once he came in.

The kitchen was empty so Hermione decided to get something to eat. The refrigerator was full of soda and all kinds of foods. She then looked in the freezer and just grabbed a popsicle.

Ron unexpectedly walked in. He was wearing his glasses which hid his blue eyes more. His hair was combed back. She wondered if he did that to his hair or if someone else did it.

"Hello." He greeted, waving at her.

She just stared at him and said nothing. Hermione took a seat at the table. She could hear Ron behind her getting something out of the fridge.

He took the seat across from her, "You're not gonna say hi back to me?"

Hermione giggled, "Are you going to do something about it?"

He moved his arms on the table, "Yeah, I guess I'll have to punish you."

Her cheeks went red, "How are you going to do that?"

"I'll just keep saying hi to you until you say hi back." He said.

She laughed, "You wouldn't do it."

"Oh, I would." He said.

"No you-"

"Hi." He started.

She smiled at him, "Are you seri-"

"Hi."

She turned her head.

"Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi." He kept saying it over and over again. Even when she tried talking to him.

Hermione laughed harder each time he said it, "Ron, stop!"

He shook his head, "Hi. Hi. I won't stop until you say it back! Hi, hi, hi!"

She finally gave in, "Okay! Hi! Happy?"

"Very." He answered.

She licked her popsicle, it was really cold. Her eyes were away from his.

"So, your name was Hermione, right?" He asked, touching her arm.

She was taken aback when he touched her, "Yes, sir."

Ron nodded and ran his hands in his hair, "Hmm, that's a pretty name."

"Thank you. I'm flattered that you think so." She slurped pretty loudly on her popsicle.

'"Geez, are you enjoying that?" He asked with concern.

She burst into laughter, "Of course I am, why else would I be eating it?"

"So... do I have a job?" He asked her.

"Yeah, you're a waiter at Café Lumos." She told him.

"Oh yeah, you're my coworker, right?" He asked, remembering what she told him last week.

Hermione nodded, then took another bite of her popsicle. She felt like she was sitting around a different person. It was still Ron, but to her, it was a different Ron. Mentally and physically.

He looked down at her shoes, theu had to be about four inches long. "Do you always where those in the house?"

She shook her head, "No, I have more. They're in your room actually."

"Why are they in my room?" He asked.

"Because we're roommates." She said nervously. She was afraid that he might react badly to being roommates.

Ron nodded acceptingly, "Okay," he looked directly at her, "wait, so you sleep in the same room as me?"

She nodded, "Mmhmm."

"And you change in the same room as me?"

"Yeah."

"And you...stay in the same room as me?"

"That's right."

"Wicked," he muttered to himself, "I mean-ugh, cool."

She licked her fingers from any melted popsicle left on her hands. Ron would look away from her sometimes, he was shy around her.

"Do you like comic books?" He asked randomly.

Hermione smiled, "Yeah, I love comic books."

His eyes were full of life, "Really? What comics do you like to read?"

"I really love Marvel, especially Spider-Man."

"Really? Me too!" He gushed.

She couldn't help but smile at him, he was suddenly obsessing over comic books with her.

"I never knew a girl like you would know any comics." He commented.

Hermione felt slightly offended, "What, you think someone like me doesn't read comics?"

He shook his hands, "No, no. I just love that you love comics too."

She couldn't help but feel he was acting so adorable. He was acting his old self in a way. It was actually really charming and sweet.

"Ron? You know how to play guitar right?" Her hands were clasped together.

He nodded almost immediately, "Oh yeah, I've been playing it since forever."

She bit her lip, staring at him. "Hold on." She quickly went upstairs to get his guitar.

Ron turned back at her, she can really run in those heels. He leaned back in his chair and tapped the table with his fingers as he waited for her.

She came back carrying an acoustic guitar that was almost as big as she was. Hermione handed it over to him. He took it and placed it on his lap.

"Play something." She instructed him.

"Okay." He said shyly. He played a few chords for her. Ron wasn't sure if sounded right so he kept tuning the guitar.

"That sounds really good!" She congratulated him.

"Can you play anything?" He asked putting the guitar down.

"No." She answered disappointingly.

"Oh, that's alright. That's totally fine." He nodded awkwardly.

An awkward silence filled the room. Hermione was just looking around as Ron was tryint to think of something to say to her.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?"

Hermione was shocked by how he just asked her that out of the blue. "Does it matter if I have one?"

Ron pushed his glasses up, "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you. Honest."

A sigh escaped her lips. "I don't really know. I mean, I do. But at the same time, I don't."

He nodded, trying to understand.

"I honestly don't know if he'll ever come back to me." Her voice broke a little bit but she stopped herself.

"Sorry, I don't want you to cry." He scooted next to her and rubbed her arm.

"No, it's okay," a tear fell from her left eye, "I just miss him a lot."

Hermione didn't want to cry, especially in front of Ron. She still couldn't believe everything that was happening was real.

He shushed her quietly, "Hey, don't worry about it. If he really loves you, he'll find his way back to you."

Hermione looked directly at him. He moved strands of her hair away from her face. "Thank you Ron," she kissed his cheek, "you're so sweet."

He gave her a goofy grin, "Y-you're welcome."

She cleared her throat, "Um, but I appreciate your concern. I really do."

He shrugged, "Well, you seem like a nice person."

"So, you don't remember who you are?" Hermione asked him.

He wrinkled his forehead, "Well, I know my name is Ronald Bilius Weasley. At least that's what I've been told."

"Yeah. That's your name. How about when you were born?"

"That I don't know." He responded.

Hermione smiled, "March 1st."

"March 1st? That's a good birthday." He thought.

Hermione continued to question him, "Do you know how old you are?"

He quickly answered, "Twenty-three. My mom told me. Pardon me asking but how old are you?"

"Just turned twenty-two." She clarified.

He nodded, "I would have guessed you were nineteen."

"Wow, really?" She questioned, a little shocked.

"Yeah," he smiled cheekily, "you look pretty young for your age."

She didn't know whether to be embarassed by that comment or flattered. "Thanks. You too."He scoffed, "No way, these glasses make me look older than I am."

"Aww, I love your glasses. It makes you look so smart." She complimented.

"Thank you. I hate having to wear them though, I look better without them.

She ran her fingers through his hair, "You look handsome either way."

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better about myself or what?"

"No, you really are. You have nice eyes." She stared at his bright blue eyes. There was an innocence and kindness in them.

"Hey, you want to play some basketball with me? I saw a basketball hoop outside." He gestured his hands.

"Sure." She gladly accepted. Hermione wasn't sure when his memory would be back to normal, but she had a good feeling about where their friendship was going.


	27. A Little Trouble

Hermione picked at her food at the table. The whole family was having alfredo tortellini for dinner that night. Ron was sitting beside her, scarfing down his food.

"Ronald, stop eating your food like a caveman!" His mother scolded.

"Sorry." Ron put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Hermione quietly giggled while she picked at her food. Ginny was seated to her left so she caught her laughing. Of course, Fred and George were across from them.

His mother looked over the table, "So Percy dear, how was work at the office?"

"Same old, same old." He said with his mouth full.

She wanted to have a family dinner so Ron can bond with everybody and get to know them. He was starting to feel comfortable with everybody, since he had so many siblings.

"Ronald, Harry told me that you have to go back by tomorrow." She informed.

"Back to where?"

"To work, dear." She responded.

Ron nodded, "Oh, right. At that café Hermione mentioned?"

"Yeah," Hermione answered. "we work there together, remember?"

"Right. I remember." He smiled at her, he was really friendly with Hermione. They were already good friends.

Hermione finished her food and leaned back in her chair. "Can I be excused, Mrs. Weasley?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, allowing her to leave the table. Hermione quickly made her way upstairs to Ron's room. It was nice and empty. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed Draco's number. They haven't talked in a while.

Hermione raised the phone to her right ear and anxiously waited for the dial tone. "Come on, pick up, pick up."

Eventually, the dial tone was interrupted by a voice. "Hello?"

""Draco? It's me Hermione."

"Oh hey, I haven't seen you at the café in a while!"

Hermione nodded, "I know, it's just that me and Ron got into a car accident last week."

"Are you okay?" He sounded really concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Ron isn't." She said.

"What happened to Ron?"

She thought about if she should tell Draco what happened, but she told him anyway. "Ron has amnesia and he doesn't remember anyone anymore."

There was a moment of silence on the other line, "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Hermione answered.

"So...he doesn't remember anything? At all?" He asked her.

"Yeah!" She answered again, a bit annoyed.

"Wow."

Hermione didn't know if he sounded relieved or shocked. "Draco, this is really bad. Literally every single memory he has is gone now."

"So he doesn't know you?"

That was his only question for her. She sighed, "No, but we've been hanging out for a while and we've become friends."

Draco only mumbled something. "That's good, I really missed seeing you around the café."

Hermione felt flattered but she really didn't want Draco thinking they were a thing. "I've just been home resting since the accident happened so my boss let me have the week off."

"When will you be back?" He asked curiously.

She started pacing back and forth. "Tomorrow."

"Oh, well I can see you tomorrow then?"

She was shaking a little, "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

She finally hung up the phone. Hermione didn't know if she should be blaming Draco or herself for what happened between them. She couldn't just tell Ron yet, not when he has no idea who she even is to him.

"Was that your boyfriend?"

Hermione looked around the room, then turned around to see Ron leaning against the doorway.

She brushed her hair back, "Oh, no. No. It was just a friend of mine."

He walked over to her, "Sorry for sneaking up on you like that. I was finished with my dinner so I decided to come up here."

She smiled, "Good, cause I need some company."

"So we share this room?" He asked.

"Yeah. We basically just live together in here."

"Okay. Just wanted to be sure. I wouldn't want anything to be y'know, weird between us." He laughed.

She nodded, "No, of course not."

He sat on the bed, bouncing a little. "Are you sure those shoes never bother you?"

She laughed, "No, I mean I've worn heels for a few years now. They don't bother me at all actually."

"So, we were friends before the accident I had?" He asked her.

"Yes, like best friends." Hermione smiled. She didn't want to tell him that they were dating. She didn't want him to suddenly feel weird around her and feel the need to be attracted to her just because they were dating.

One of her fears was losing him. Maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe Hermione deserved this. She felt like it was karma slapping her in the face. Taking Ron away from her. Hermione had to learn to let him go and let him love who he wanted to love. Even if it wasn't her.

She yawned, "I feel really sleepy."

He quickly got off the bed, "Oh, did you want to sleep here?"

"A-are you sure? Where will you sleep?" She really didn't want Ron to think she was taking his bed.

He took a pillow off the bed and threw it to the floor, "I can just sleep here," he laid on the ground, a pillow below his head.

She giggled, "That looks really umcomfortable."

He looked at her, "Well, it wouldn't be right for a lady to sleep on the floor."

She giggled, "It really wouldn't. Thanks."

"No problem," he moved around on the floor, "You know it's actually quite comfy down here."

Hermione laughed as she removed her shoes. She pulled up the blanket and got comfortable. "Good night, Ron."

"Good night." He responded.

* * *

Ron looked around the café. Luna, Neville, and Seamus were all around, serving customers. It was all strange for Ron.

"Okay Ron, so you just wait for Neville, Luna, and Seamus to prepare the food, then you serve it to the table it's assigned to." Harry told him.

Ron touched his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. I'll do it too. Just do what I do. Okay?"

"Hey, Hermione, order for number six!" Seamus announced from behind the counter.

"Coming!" Hermione picked up the two dishes and hurried along the tables.

Neville appeared near the counter, "Hey Ron, order for table one."

Ron nodded, taking the food out of his hands. Table one was just a couple of steps away. Hermione saw Ron, he was doing good on his first day back.

She rushed over to Harry, "How long has Ron been working here now?"

"About two years," Harry answered, "he's been here for a long time."

Hermione looked over at Ron, he was serving customers, "Isn't it weird to see him suddenly not know what to do anymore?"

Harry shrugged, "A little. He was like this when he started working here."

She looked down at the table, "I just hope he doesn't accidentally spill coffee on anyone."

"Here's hoping." Harry joked.

"I better go help him, poor guy is on his own." Hermione took a dessert tray from Luna and gave it to table one, the table that Ron was just serving.

"How's Ron feeling? We heard about what happened." Luna asked from the kitchen.

"He's doing well actually. We all had dinner, he got to know his family again." Hermione explained.

"I've known him for almost a year now. It's unfortunate that he won't be able to remember all the great things in his life." Luna rambled.

"Well, the doctor says he can regain his memory but it'll take years." Hermione told her.

Luna continued, "That's alright. Ron should just take his time. It's not like he wanted to lose his memory, but it happened. We'll just have to wait and let him be comfortable about all of this. He just has a fresh start. New people, new friends, new memories."

"Maybe you're right Luna. I just miss him. He doesn't remember that I'm his girlfriend," Hermione confessed. It wasn't like she was forcing it on Ron but she couldn't face loving him if he didn't love her back, "It's like we're just strangers now."

Luna put her hand over Hermione's, "Trust me. Eventually he'll fall in love with you. He fell in love with you before, right?"

Hermione just nodded. She wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"Well, think of it as him just slowly falling in love with you. Not just as a lover, but as a best friend," Luna smiled at Hermione, "well, I have to get back to baking. My cookies might be burning."

Hermione giggled as Luna scurried off. She swore that Luna could be such a fortune teller sometimes. Her eyes travelled around to find Ron. He had no problem taking orders and cleaning the tables.

She walked all the way to the back to find anyone who needed their order taken. There was a familiar guy in the same spot. She had almost forgotten about Draco meeting her here again.

"Hey Draco. How are you?" She casually asked.

He tapped his finger on the table, "I'm good. How are you?"

She sighed, "Fine. Draco listen, what happened in the car, I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing. I-I wasn't myself."

"Hey, it's fine Hermione. It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have made you drink so much in the first place."

She shook her head, disagreeing. "No, it was my fault. I wanted to keep drinking."

He nodded, "So you're-"

"Hermione! I need your help." Ron popped up beside her.

"Hello Ron." Draco said.

Ron looked down at him, "How do you know my name?"

Draco pouted, "You don't remember your best friend? From high school?"

"I don't think I remember you." Ron said.

Draco made a face, "Really? Do you remember Astoria Greengrass?"

Ron gave a slight laugh, "No, but that is a peculiar name."

"Was something funny about that, Weasley?" Draco asked, giving him a death stare.

"No, I just don't know who that is." Ron said innocently.

"You better watch who you're talking too, Ronald." Draco warned him.

Hermione grabbed Ron and looked at Draco, "Excuse us for a minute."

Hermione looked at Ron in the eyes, "Are you insane?"

Ron looked confused, "What did I do?"

She fidgeted with her hands, "I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to be talking. You see, I think something happened between you two and that's why he doesn't seem to respect you."

He slowly nodded, trying to understand her. "So, you mean...maybe I took something away from him that was his?"

"I don't know. I guess. Maybe." She answered. She really couldn't be sure about what happened to them.

"Oh, I think I get it now. Well, I'll just leave him alone then. You two can go talk now." Ron hurried to the front.

Hermione sighed, "Thank God nothing happened," she turned back to Draco, "who was that you mentioned to Ron? Astoria?"

"Oh, she was just an old classmate. Nobody important," he shrugged it off, "so, do you feel okay? Are you still hurt?"

"Oh no. I'm okay," She assured him, "nothing but some cuts and scratches. I'm fine though. It could have been worse."

"I'm glad that you're feeling okay, Hermione. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out again." Draco offered.

Hermione hesitated. She really didn't want to do this anymore. "Draco, I'm sorry, but I can't."

He looked upset, "Why not?"

"Well, we've already been hanging out a lot and I just need some time to myself. Just to think things through is all." She explained.

"Alright. That's fine." Draco shrugged.

"I'll see you later Draco." Hermione awkwardly walked away from him, feeling relieved.

Ron felt like he was getting into the swing of things. He felt like he knew what to do now and was positive about it.

"Hey Harry!" He called.

Harry turned around and saw his best friend. "Hey Ron, how's it going?"

"Great man. Hey, you know Hermione right?" Ron moved his head in her direction.

Harry laughed, he found it a bit funny that his best friend didn't remember anything anymore. Even his own girlfriend, but Harry didn't want to tell him that. "Of course."

"She's pretty cute, isn't she?" Ron started to gawk at her.

"I guess so." Harry answered awkwardly. He thought of her as a sister so it was strange for him to think she was cute.

Ron sighed, "Bloody Hell, she's gorgeous."

"You know, she already has a boyfriend." Harry teased.

"I know," Ron looked back to Harry, "sucks knowing that I can never date her."

Harry smiled, "You like her?"

"Yeah," Ron said as if it was obvious, "I mean, she's really fun to talk to and she's really cool."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel about her?" Harry suggested.

"No, I don't want to ruin our friendship. She wouldn't want to talk to me again if I told her. She'd probably be creeped out."

Neville walked out of the kitchen and waved to Harry, "Harry, we have a bit of a problem."

Harry turned back, "Okay Neville, I'll be right there!" He nudged Ron, "Good luck with Hermione."

Ron sighed, his friend wasn't helping him at all. He was afraid to tell her because he was afraid that her "boyfriend" would find out and confront him.


End file.
